Verdict: Book of Dead is the blueprint for the entire "book" genre: a single expanding symbol on the free spins can cover whole reels and turn a full screen into a win. Punishingly high volatility and a classic Egyptian atmosphere keep it timeless – though the base game is bleak, and the wait can be long.
Book of Dead is an online slot released by Play'n GO in 2016 that turned the adventurer Rich Wilde into an online-casino icon and made the whole "book"-style free spins round a genre standard. The Egyptian theme, a classic 5×3 grid and the expanding-symbol free spins have kept the game among the most popular titles for almost a decade. In this review we go through how the game works, what its win potential is built on and who it's for.
Book of Dead – game info
RTP and bet figures are the provider's stated defaults. Play'n GO offers several RTP versions of the game (for example 96.21%, 94.25% and 91.25%), so check the figure in the game's info screen before you play – the difference is significant.
Features – what the game offers
Book of Dead slot review
Book of Dead takes the player along with Rich Wilde into the burial chambers of ancient Egypt. The theme is dark and mysterious: pharaohs, Anubis, the Horus falcon, a golden scarab and, of course, the adventurer himself flicker across the reels. The graphics have a hand-painted, atmospheric feel, and even though the game is getting on in years, its visual style has aged gracefully. The soundtrack is calm and suspenseful, and it picks up nicely just when the book symbols start stacking up on the reels.
The game mechanics are deliberately simple. This is a classic 5×3 slot with ten paylines, where the base game mostly produces small and medium wins. Book of Dead's whole idea, however, comes down to a single symbol: the book. Book of Dead acts as both scatter and wild at the same time – it substitutes for other symbols and also opens the door to the game's only bonus: the free spins.
When three or more book symbols land on the reels, 10 free spins begin. Before the spins, the game draws one higher-value symbol to serve as the expanding special symbol. Whenever this symbol lands on the reels during the spins and is part of a winning combination, it expands to cover the entire reel and pays across every row – even when the symbols aren't adjacent. This is where the game's tension lies: if the drawn symbol is valuable and lands on several reels, a single spin can fill the whole screen and produce a huge payout. A fourth book during the spins retriggers the round and extends the bonus. It's exactly this chain – the right symbol, full reels, a retrigger – that makes Book of Dead so addictive.
Book of Dead is a punishingly high-volatility game. In practice that means the base game can feel lean for a long time and your balance can drift downward, until the free spins hit and deliver the bulk of the game's wins. The max win is 5,000× your stake, a fair ceiling for this classic – and in practice it's only reached if the expanding symbol fills the screen spin after spin during the free spins. Unlike many newer slots, Book of Dead has no buy feature: the free spins have to be earned with scatters, which makes every bonus genuinely anticipated.
Book of Dead's success also shows in how large a series has grown up around it: Rich Wilde and Book of Dead spawned numerous sequels, such as Tome of Dead, Rise of Dead and Book of Dead GO Collect, in which the same expanding-symbol idea gets new twists. The original game, though, is still the clearest and best-known in the series – its clean mechanic is exactly what makes it a good starting point. Thanks to the €0.10–50 bet range the game suits both cautious low-stake play and bigger bets, and the RTP stays the same regardless of stake size.
Who is the game for? Book of Dead is an excellent choice for a player who likes a clear mechanic and an exciting bonus round without complicated rules. It's beginner-friendly but still offers a veteran plenty of volatility. If, on the other hand, you're after constant tumble wins or enormous 20,000× multipliers, you should look elsewhere – this is an honest, theme-faithful classic, not a dream game for the hunter of modern mega-hits. Players most often praise, in their Book of Dead experiences, exactly the tension of the free spins and that moment when the expanding symbol fills the screen.
Summary: Book of Dead earns its place as a slot classic. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it polishes one idea almost to perfection and created a template that hundreds of other games have since copied. High volatility, rewarding free spins and an above-average RTP of 96.21% make it a game you keep coming back to. The Klinq editorial rating: 4.5 / 5.
Where to play Book of Dead
Book of Dead is available at almost every casino, but withdrawal speed, taxation and the game's RTP version determine where it's worth playing. Below are three casinos operating on a tax-free licence – each with its own strength. Taxation is determined by the licence: winnings from MGA- and EU/EEA-licensed casinos are tax-free.
18+ · Play responsibly. Casino links are commercial. A game is not an investment – only play with money you can afford to lose.