Mahjong Ways and other mahjong slots
Not the tile game
Traditional mahjong is a four-player game of skill and luck with 144 tiles, played across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. You draw and discard to build sets, rather like rummy. Mahjong Ways borrows the tiles and nothing else: it is a slot machine series from PG Soft, and the outcome of every spin is random.
How the slots play
- Ways, not lines. Matching tiles on adjacent reels from the left pay, wherever they sit on the reel.
- Cascades. Winning tiles disappear and new ones drop in, so one spin can pay several times.
- Golden tiles. Some tiles land gold and turn into wilds after they are part of a win.
- Growing multiplier. Each cascade in a row raises the win multiplier, and the steps are higher during free spins.
- Free spins start with three or more scatter symbols.
Both games list an RTP close to 97% and have high volatility: long quiet stretches, then occasional big runs of cascades.
Where to find them
PG Soft reaches most casinos through game aggregators, so Mahjong Ways is widely available, usually with a demo on the casino's own site.
Other Asian-themed slots
PG Soft's catalogue leans heavily on Asian themes, with titles such as Fortune Mouse, Dragon Tiger Luck and Gem Saviour Sword. Pragmatic Play has its own long list, 5 Lions Megaways and Floating Dragon among them, and you can try several of those on our Asian games page.
Mahjong Ways: frequently asked questions
Can I play Mahjong Ways for free?+
Yes. PG Soft offers demo versions of Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2, and most casinos that carry the studio let you open them in demo mode.
What is the difference between Mahjong Ways 1 and 2?+
Both use cascading reels that pay on ways rather than lines, with golden tiles that turn into wilds. The sequel widens the reels, so there are more ways to win per spin, and builds bigger multipliers into the free spins.
Is any skill involved?+
None. Despite the name, these are slots with a mahjong theme. The only choice you make is your stake.