Mahjong Ways 2 Slot Review

Quick verdict

Mahjong Ways 2 is PG Soft’s sequel to one of the most recognisable Asian-themed slots ever made, and it builds the whole game around mahjong tiles. You get five reels in a 4-5-5-5-4 layout with 2,000 ways to win, cascading wins and a multiplier ladder above the reels that climbs x1, x2, x3, x5 as the cascades keep going. The key twist is the gold tiles. A gold tile that wins turns into a Wild. In free spins, the ladder doubles to x2, x4, x6, x10. PG Soft lists the RTP at 96.95% and the max win at 100,000x.

Play it if you like:

• Chain reactions, where gold tiles turn Wild and keep the cascade going
• A free spins round where every step of the multiplier is doubled
• A familiar mahjong theme that needs no explanation

Skip it if you get bored waiting for free spins. The base-game multiplier resets after every chain, and long stretches without the feature can feel repetitive.

Our score: 4/5 durians, Premium. It’s polished, fast and well balanced, with a strong RTP and a huge ceiling on paper. It’s easy to see why it’s still one of PG Soft’s biggest games.

How to play Mahjong Ways 2

1. Set your stake. Bet steps depend on your casino and currency, and the databases list different ranges, so open the bet menu at your MYR, PHP or SGD casino first.
2. Spin the reels. PG Soft describes the grid as 5 reels and 4 rows, with an extra row on reels 2, 3 and 4. That’s 4 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 4 = 2,000 ways. There are no paylines. You win with matching tiles on adjacent reels, starting from reel 1.
3. Watch the cascade. Winning tiles are cleared, new ones fall in, and the game checks for new wins.
4. Follow the multiplier ladder. Every cascade in the same chain moves the multiplier up a step.

Gold tiles and Wilds: the core mechanic

This is what makes the Mahjong Ways games work.

Gold-plated tiles can land on reels 2, 3 and 4. When a gold tile is part of a winning combination:

1. The win pays as normal, with the current multiplier.
2. The tile turns into a Wild instead of disappearing. PG Soft’s own description says gold tiles in a winning spin “will also be converted into Wild symbols”.
3. The new Wild helps the next cascade. It can stand in for the tiles that fall in next, which, as Bigwinboard puts it, often helps extend the chain.

That’s how a single win can turn into a long chain. Each step of the chain also lifts the multiplier, so the gold tiles and the ladder work together.

The multiplier ladder

Above the reels sits a ladder of four multipliers. slotcatalog and Bigwinboard list the same steps:

In the base game, the ladder resets when the chain ends, according to Bigwinboard. So the x5 only comes into play on the fourth cascade or later in one chain. So most base-game wins are paid at the lower steps.

Free spins

Land 3 scatters to trigger 10 free spins. Each extra scatter adds 2 more spins, and the round can be retriggered. slotcatalog and casino.guru both list these numbers.

Free spins change two things:

• The ladder doubles to x2, x4, x6 and x10. PG Soft’s description says the maximum multiplier rises “up to 10 times” in the round.
• Every tile on reel 3 lands gold, except Wilds and scatters. That’s how PG Soft’s official page and slotcatalog describe it, so every win that uses reel 3 creates at least one new Wild. Bigwinboard’s review says reels 2, 3 and 4 all turn gold, but we go with PG Soft’s own wording.

The free spins carry a big share of the game’s value. slotcatalog splits the RTP into 70.39% from the base game and 26.56% from free spins. More than a quarter of what the game pays back comes from the round.

RTP and volatility, explained plainly

The RTP is 96.95% on PG Soft’s official game page, and slotcatalog agrees. Bigwinboard rounds it to 97%. Over millions of spins, the game pays back about 96.95 for every 100 staked, a house edge of about 3%. Over a single session, anything can happen, and the RTP doesn’t make any one spin more likely to win. Check the info screen at your casino, because that’s the version you’re playing. Our RTP and RNG guide explains what the number really means.

Volatility is medium on PG Soft’s own rating, and slotcatalog and Bigwinboard agree. slotcatalog puts the hit frequency at 29.44%, so roughly three spins in ten pay something. Most of those are small single cascades. Think in spins: 250 spins at 0.40 is 100. Our slot volatility guide shows how to size a session.

Max win: what the 100,000x figure means

PG Soft’s official game page lists the max win as 100,000x your bet, and slotcatalog agrees. Bigwinboard lists 1,708x and points out that the figures contradict each other. We go with PG Soft’s own number, but the rules screen at your casino is the final word for the version it runs.

Whatever the exact cap, the route to the top is the same. You need free spins, a chain long enough to reach the x10 step, and gold tiles turning into Wilds so the top tiles connect across many of the 2,000 ways at once. On a medium-volatility game, that’s a very rare event. Most of your wins will be far smaller.

Tips that actually help

No strategy beats Mahjong Ways 2. A random number generator (RNG) decides every spin, and a long run without scatters doesn’t make free spins “due”. These tips won’t change the maths, but they help your money last:

• Check the RTP line first. Open the info screen in real-money mode and confirm 96.95%.
• Try the demo if your casino has one. A few minutes shows you how often gold tiles appear and how quickly the ladder climbs.
• Pick a stake that gives you 250+ spins. Free spins carry a big share of the RTP, and 3 scatters take time to land.
• Set a loss limit and a win target before you start, and stop when you hit either one.
• Read bonus terms before you claim. Welcome bonuses come with wagering and a max-bet rule while the bonus is active. Our wagering guide explains how to check an offer.

Mobile play

PG Soft’s official page previews Mahjong Ways 2 on a phone screen. PG Soft lists the game at 13.4 MB, so it loads quickly in Chrome or Safari on Android and iPhone or inside a casino app. The tiles are large and clear, and the multiplier ladder sits right above the reels where you can follow it.

Why Mahjong Ways 2 fits Southeast Asia

Mahjong is played at family gatherings across Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, so the theme needs no introduction. PG Soft also offers the game in a long list of languages, including Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Chinese. Its popularity shows in the numbers. When we checked, Bigwinboard’s play tracker ranked it #11 of 4,070 games and #1 among PG Soft’s titles.

PG Soft sits in the lobbies of all four casinos we review in the Philippines (BC.Game, BK8, Megapari and Winna), and in Malaysia AW8 listed Mahjong Ways 2 among its hot picks when we tested. You can browse the slots on our Philippines slots page and Malaysia slots page.

If you like this, try these

• Super Ace: JILI’s card slot with a very similar idea: 1,024 ways, cascades, Golden Cards that turn into Jokers and a combo ladder that doubles in free spins.
• Boxing King: JILI cascades with stacked Wilds and a combo multiplier up to x8 in free spins.
• Sweet Bonanza: Pragmatic Play’s tumble classic, with multiplier bombs in free spins.

Where to play Mahjong Ways 2

The box on this page lists the casinos we review that carry PG Soft, with their current offers.

Before you deposit: search the lobby for “Mahjong Ways 2” (not the original Mahjong Ways, which is a separate game), then open the info screen and check the RTP line. Read the bonus terms too, because max-bet rules apply while a bonus is active.

You must be 21 or older. Check your local laws before you play and set deposit limits. See our responsible gambling page.

Final verdict

Mahjong Ways 2 is a lesson in doing a few things well. Gold tiles that turn Wild, a ladder that climbs with every cascade and a free spins round that doubles it all make for a fast, readable game with a 96.95% RTP behind it. The base game can drag between features, and the sources don’t agree on the max win. If you like chain-reaction slots and a theme you already know, though, this is one of the best in any PG Soft lobby. Check the RTP, set your limits, and see how far up the ladder you get.