Bonanza Megaways vs Christmas Catch — 2026 Comparison

Christmas Catch wins on max win potential (31,430× stake vs Bonanza Megaways's 26,000×). Bonanza Megaways leads on payline count, offering 117,649 ways versus Christmas Catch's 111,649. Choose Bonanza Megaways if you want a proven, landmark Megaways engine; choose Christmas Catch if you want a higher ceiling on a single outcome for UK players.

Side-by-Side Specs

Both titles come from Big Time Gaming and use the Megaways mechanic, which often causes players to conflate them — but the specs reveal meaningful differences in RTP, max win, and release era.

How Bonanza Megaways Plays

Bonanza Megaways launched in 2016 and is widely regarded as the slot that popularised the Megaways format across the industry. It runs on up to 117,649 ways to win across six reels, with cascading reels removing winning symbols so new ones drop in. A scatter-triggered free spins round adds an unlimited progressive multiplier that increments with each cascade. In our testing, the base game delivered frequent small cascades that built anticipation, while the free spins multiplier created genuine variance peaks. RTP sits at 96% (varies). For a full mechanic breakdown, see Bonanza Megaways review.

How Christmas Catch Plays

Christmas Catch arrived in 2023, applying the Megaways engine to a festive theme across up to 111,649 ways to win. Big Time Gaming retained the cascading reel structure but redesigned the bonus architecture to push the theoretical max win up to 31,430× stake. The public paytable does not disclose full retrigger counts or exact multiplier caps beyond the headline figure. In our testing, the Christmas Catch base game felt visually busier than Bonanza Megaways, with seasonal symbols varying reel heights dynamically. RTP is stated at 96.53% (varies). Read Christmas Catch for a closer look at the feature mechanics.

Who Wins On Each Metric

RTP winner

Christmas Catch edges it on stated RTP: 96.53% versus Bonanza Megaways's 96%, a 0.53 percentage-point advantage — see Bonanza Megaways rtp for variance context on both figures.

Max win winner

Christmas Catch wins clearly: 31,430× stake versus Bonanza Megaways's 26,000×, a gap of 5,430× in Christmas Catch's favour.

Volatility fit

Both slots sit in the high-volatility bracket (see Slot Volatility Explained for what that means in practice), so neither suits short, conservative sessions — Bonanza Megaways's longer track record gives bankroll planners more publicly available data on hit frequency.

Bonus feature winner

Bonanza Megaways wins on feature transparency: its unlimited progressive multiplier in free spins is extensively documented, whereas Christmas Catch's public paytable does not disclose full multiplier or retrigger mechanics.

Which Should You Play?

Play Bonanza Megaways if...

Play Bonanza Megaways if you value a high-volatility game with a well-documented free spins mechanic and a 117,649-way reel engine that has been stress-tested by players since 2016. The mining theme suits those who prefer gritty, no-nonsense aesthetics over seasonal branding.

Play Christmas Catch if...

Play Christmas Catch if a higher theoretical ceiling matters to you — 31,430× stake is the bigger number — and a slightly improved RTP of 96.53% appeals. The 2023 release also means a fresher visual presentation within the familiar Megaways structure.

Play both if...

Play both if you want to contrast Big Time Gaming's 2016 benchmark against its 2023 iteration. The shared Megaways DNA means switching between them is straightforward, and the differing themes keep sessions visually varied. See Bonanza Megaways and Christmas Catch for further options in the same style.

Where to Play Both Slots in the UK

Spingenie holds licences under the UKGC and carries both Bonanza Megaways and Christmas Catch in its Big Time Gaming library. UK spin intervals, the £5 and £2 stake caps where applicable, and the 10× wagering cap all apply. Always gamble within your means — visit BeGambleAware for support. 18+ only.