Gates of Hades Review and Demo

This UKGC-licensed provider is one of the largest and most reputable, with an expansive catalogue of online casino games, including many cult classics like Big Bass Bonanza and Gates of Olympus.

Category	Detail
Game Title	Gates of Hades
Software provider	Pragmatic Play
RTP	96.52%
Volatility	Very High
Max Win	10,000x
Theme	Greek mythology, underworld
Key Mechanic	Cluster pays

Gates of Hades Gameplay

Gates of Hades is a very high volatility slot, which can often translate to a slower pace due to long stretches between wins. However, with cluster pays and tumbling reels, this slot has a faster pace of play as the gaps between large wins feature more frequent smaller wins to keep you engaged.

The minimum bet per spin is £0.20, which may be a little steep for players who want to be extra cautious with their budget. The maximum stake is capped by the UKGC limits of £2 per spin for under-25s, and £5 per spin for those 25 and over.

Instead of traditional paylines, payouts are awarded for landing five or more matching symbols in a cluster, adjacent horizontally or vertically. Here’s an example of what you could expect to win for landing the minimum and maximum amounts of each symbol, based on a £1 stake:

Symbol	5 in a cluster	15-36 in a cluster
Blue Gem	0.10	10.00
Green Gem	0.20	15.00
Yellow Gem	0.30	20.00
Purple Gem	0.40	24.00
Red Gem	1.50	90.00
Goblet of Wine	2.00	120.00
Ring	2.50	240.00
Crown	3.00	300.00

The increase between the lower paying symbols is gradual, but then jumps significantly when you move up to the higher-paying symbols, especially for landing large numbers of them. This can, unfortunately, make the lower wins feel less relevant.

Theme and Story of the Gates of Hades Slot

Gates of Hades takes the popular Greek mythology theme and flips it on its head, taking you into the depths of Hades’ underworld for a more intense story. The grid is set against a backdrop of a volcanic landscape with flashes of lightning scarring the sky, and Hades himself watching, demoniacally, over the reels as you spin.

As far as the symbols go, it’s a little difficult to discern the hierarchy between the lowest paying symbols at a glance, as they’re all different coloured gems which offer up to between 10x and 24x your stake. Confusingly, the red gem is part of the highest paying symbols, with a maximum payout of 90x your bet. From there, the distinction between the highest paying symbols becomes clearer: a goblet of wine offers up to 120x, a ring awards up to 240x, and the ultimate win comes with the crown, which can pay out up to 300x your stake.

Graphics, Sounds and Vibes

Pragmatic Play is well-known for its high-quality graphics and immersive slot designs and Gates of Hades absolutely lives up to that reputation. Hades is a fierce character that stands guard over his kingdom, occasionally animated in response to what’s happening on the reels to make the game extra immersive. The music playing in the background is equally atmospheric – an intense, fantastical theme layered with the sounds of wind rolling through the mountains and across the reels.

During the free spins bonus rounds, the background remains the same, except this time Hades’ faithful companion, Cerberus, the three-headed dog, joins the action on the left-hand side of the reels. His howls accompany your spins as the music intensifies, increasing the tension of the round.

I asked a fellow CasinoTopsOnline expert writer what they thought of the audiovisual design of Gates of Hades. Here’s what they said:

Gates of Hades Slot on Mobile

While Gates of Hades has been fully optimised to run smoothly on all devices, including on mobile casinos, for the same high-quality experience, there is no adapted portrait mode version available. The game will load, but the layout remains the same, condensed to fit the smaller screen.

If you rotate your screen, the landscape version is much more user-friendly. It expands the background to fill the screen, but the reels remain the main focus. The spin button sits at the bottom right of the grid, just like on desktop, making it easy to access.

Here’s what one of our CasinoTopsOnline gaming experts had to say about the mobile version of Gates of Hades:

Wild Symbols

The Wild symbol is an appropriate ring of fire, which can land on any of the reel positions. As well as substituting for any symbol except the bonus scatter, it can carry a random multiplier value up to 100x, which is applied to the whole reel.

Any additional multipliers that land during cascades are added to the multiplier at the top of the reel. For any clusters that form in those reels, payouts are multiplied by all multipliers the symbols fall under. At the end of the Tumble feature, the multipliers are cleared from the top of the reels.

Tumble Feature

The Tumble mechanic is sometimes called cascading reels. Once a win has formed, those symbols are removed from the grid, allowing new ones to tumble into their place, leading to more wins from a single spin. Tumbles are unlimited and they continue until there are no new matching combinations of five or more symbols.

• 3 scatters: 10 free spins

• 4 scatters: 12 free spins

• 5 scatters: 15 free spins

• 6 or more scatters: 20 super free spins

During the free spins round, any multipliers that are added to the top of the reels remain in play for the duration of the round, with any new multipliers that land being added to the value. Here, the multiplier values can go up to 500x.

You can earn 5, 7, 10 or 12 additional free spins by landing 3, 4, 5 or 6+ scatters, respectively.

Super Free Spins

Super Free Spins are awarded for landing six or more Hades Scatters in the base game or Free Spins bonus round. In this case, the minimum multiplier that can land on a reel is 10x.

Here’s an opinion from another CasinoTopsOnline reviewer on the Gates of Hades bonus features:

Gates of Hades Slot Wagering Details

Now we’ve covered the graphics and bonus features, it’s time to take a look at the maths behind the slot. Gates of Hades is a high volatility slot with a return to player (RTP) rate of 96.52%, which is something to bear in mind when determining your strategy and setting your budget.

RTP and Volatility

A slot’s volatility determines the size and frequency of its payouts. High volatility typically means longer stretches between wins, but payouts are higher. This makes these slots more suitable for experienced players with a bigger budget.

The RTP of a game indicates the hypothetical amount a player could expect to see returned on their bet over a very long period of time. In the UK, the industry average is 96%, so at 96.52%, I’d recommend Gates of Hades to players who have the right budget.

Hit frequency is another factor to consider. According to publicly available data, Gates of Hades has a hit frequency of 1 in 3.45 spins, which is a little higher than you’d expect from a high volatility slot and is mostly thanks to the cluster pays and Tumble mechanics.

Bet Sizes and Variance

In Gates of Hades, the minimum bet per spin is £0.20, which can feel a little steep for some players and confirms the need for a higher budget when playing this slot. The UKGC imposes stake limits on UK players of £2 per spin for under-25s, and £5 per spin for those 25 and over.

Bonus Frequency

Bonuses can be the most rewarding parts of any slot, and this is definitely the case with Gates of Hades. The bonus frequency for this game sits at around 1 in 270.64 spins, which is pretty average for most modern titles.

Testing the Gates of Hades Slot with a £50 Bankroll

For a comprehensive overview of what to expect when playing this game, I tested the Gates of Hades demo with a theoretical budget of £50. I set my stake at £1 per spin for 50 spins.

I landed a hit on my first spin, although it was only £0.10. Over my next 10 spins, I earned a couple of similar small wins, increased slightly thanks to a 6x Wild multiplier, but spin 12 is where my luck really changed. I unlocked 3x and 9x multipliers, the latter becoming 11x after the third cascade and a 2x multiplier was also added to the top of the reels. My total win for this spin was £56.90, taking my total up to £96.50.

Things quietened down again until my 22nd spin, where multiple cascades alongside an impressive 55x multiplier led to a total payout of £127.75. At this point, my balance was all the way up to £214.90 and I knew that no matter what happened for the rest of my session, I was going to end it having made a profit.

Sure enough, even though I only landed eight more wins across my remaining spins, all of which were small wins, I ended my session with a balance of £197.60, meaning I’d won £147.60.

Slot	Gates of Hades	Gates of Olympus	Big Bass Bonanza
Developer	Pragmatic Play	Pragmatic Play	Pragmatic Play
RTP	96.52%	96.50%	96.71%
Max Win	10,000x	5,000x	2,100x
Volatility	High	High	Medium-high
Theme	Greek mythology, underworld
Bonus Features	Cluster pays, tumbles, wild multipliers, free spins	Scatter pays, tumbles, free spins, multiplier orbs	Wilds, scatters, symbol collection, free spins

Big Bass Bonanza has a slightly lower volatility and a higher RTP, making it better suited to more casual players. Gates of Olympus offers different features, but Gates of Hades has a higher RTP and twice the maximum win, so it’s great for those with bigger budgets chasing big wins.