Verdict: Gates of Olympus is, with good reason, one of the most popular slots of its era. Zeus's 2×–500× multipliers and the growing global multiplier in the free spins create explosive win potential, but the very high volatility makes it merciless: the base game eats your balance fast. An absolute classic – but not for the faint of heart.
Gates of Olympus is a slot released by Pragmatic Play in February 2021 that quickly became one of the most recognisable games in the entire industry. The Greek-mythology theme, lightning splitting the clouds and the thunder god Zeus himself turned the game into a phenomenon that has been copied across countless sequels and imitations. In this review we walk through how the game works, what its huge win potential is built on, and who it suits.
Gates of Olympus – game info
RTP and bet figures are the default values stated by the provider. Pragmatic Play also offers lower-RTP versions of the game (for example 95.50% and 94.50%), so check the figure in the game's info screen before you play.
Features – what the game offers
Gates of Olympus slot review
Gates of Olympus takes the player to the summit of Mount Olympus, the realm of the gods. The theme is beautifully executed: glowing marble temples and torches in the background, a sky burning purple, and Zeus himself standing at the edge of the screen, ready to hurl his lightning. The symbols are gems and antique artefacts – chalices, rings, crowns and hourglasses – and the whole presentation exudes high-quality polish. The soundtrack is epic and builds nicely as multiplier symbols start chiming onto the reels. Visually, the game remains one of Pragmatic Play's most striking.
Mechanically, Gates of Olympus departs from the traditional fruit machine. This is a 6×5 grid with no paylines: wins are formed on the scatter-pays principle, meaning that when at least eight matching symbols land anywhere on the grid, a win is created. Winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in to replace them (the tumble mechanic), so a single spin can chain several wins in a row. The real heart of the game, though, is the multiplier symbol: Zeus's multiplier orbs land on the reels at random, with values of 2×–500×. When a win lands on the same spin as multiplier symbols, all the orb values are added together and the entire win is multiplied by that total.
The free spins are the game's climax. When at least four scatters – Zeus's face – drop onto the grid, 15 free spins begin. Now every multiplier symbol that lands during the round is added to a global multiplier that does not reset during the bonus, but grows spin by spin instead. In practice this means that towards the end, even a single decent win can be multiplied by hundreds. Three scatters inside the free spins award another 5 extra spins with no cap, so at its best the bonus stretches out and the global multiplier has time to grow enormous. It is exactly this chain that makes the game so addictive – and, at times, so merciless.
Gates of Olympus is a very-high-volatility game, and that deserves to be taken seriously. In practice the base game can feel cold for long stretches: your balance dwindles, tumble chains stay short and no multiplier orbs land. Then, suddenly, a single free-spins round can deliver a whole session's worth of wins – or fall flat. The maximum win is 5,000× your bet, which is already substantial, if not quite the 10,000×+ league of the newest slots. For the impatient there's a buy feature priced at 100× your bet, which gives you the free spins directly. Alternatively, the ante bet raises your stake by 25% and increases the number of scatters, which in practice doubles your chance of reaching the bonus.
The success of Gates of Olympus shows in how broad a game family has grown around it: Gates of Olympus 1000 doubled the multipliers, and Sweet Bonanza, Starlight Princess and numerous other Pragmatic titles use the same tumble-and-multiplier-orb idea across different themes. The original Gates of Olympus, however, remains the most balanced and clearest of the series – which is precisely why it became the standard against which the others are measured. Thanks to the €0.20–€100 bet range the game works for both low-stake play and bigger bets, and the RTP stays the same regardless of stake size.
Who is the game for? Gates of Olympus is an excellent choice for a player who enjoys high tension and big multipliers and isn't spooked by long dry spells. It's easy to understand but demands patience and a budget, because the variance is brutal. If you're after a steady, small-win game or low volatility, look elsewhere – this is an adrenaline game, not a way to relax. In their Gates of Olympus experiences, players most often talk about exactly those moments when the global multiplier climbed into three figures and a single tumble blew the account up – or when the budget melted away while waiting for the bonus.
In summary: Gates of Olympus earns its place as a modern slot classic. It redefined what a multiplier-based slot can look like, and it still does it with style. Very high volatility, multipliers up to 500× and an above-average RTP of 96.50% make it a game you keep coming back to – as long as you keep a cool head. Klinq editorial verdict: 4.5 / 5.
Where to play Gates of Olympus
Gates of Olympus is available at almost every casino, but withdrawal speed and taxation decide where it's worth playing. Below are three casinos on tax-free licences – each with its own strength. Taxation is determined by the licence: winnings from MGA- and EU/EEA-licensed casinos are tax-free for the player.
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