San Quentin xWays Slot Review

How to play

San Quentin xWays has a mind-boggling range of bonus features, but the standard gameplay is simple. It has 243 ways to win, and the paylines are fixed and always in play. Also, it has five reels, and each reel has three rows. You can change the total bet value from a minimum of €0.20 to a maximum of €32.00.

There is also an autoplay feature that gives great control and security. You can set the number of spins from 10 to 1,000. Also, to minimize losses, you can set a maximum account balance you wish the spins to continue past. There is also a turbo spin feature that boosts the animation speed and reduces the spin time.

Symbols and payouts

San Quentin xWays slot has a basic paytable with 10x symbols. These symbols look fantastic and continue the theme of this incredibly tough prison. The symbols are a toilet roll, handcuffs, a screwdriver, a cigarette lighter, a bar of soap, and five surly convicts. We also like that each of the convicts has a criminal record and file that can be shown at the start of the game - this just adds to the depth of this Nolimit City slot.

The lower paying symbols are the toilet paper, handcuffs, and screwdriver. These have the lowest payout multiplier possible of 0.15x for three symbols. The soap and lighter are slightly above this and offer the best payout of the lower-paying symbols of 2x for five symbols.

The higher paying symbols are the different convict characters. They all have multiple tattoos, scars, and disfigurements and look incredibly sinister! The top-paying convict character has a maximum multiplier of 5x for five symbols.

This game also has a couple of special symbols - the wild and bonus symbols. The bonus symbol triggers the free spins but also opens the enhancer cells if you get one or two bonus symbols in the main game. Alternatively, the wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols, except the bonus symbol. It can also turn into a split wild.   

Best San Quentin xWays bonus feature

The San Quentin xWays bonus feature is the lockdown spins bonus round. The bonus symbol triggers this feature and you earn San Quentin xWays free spins. The number of free spins is determined at random when the bonus round starts.

The lockdown spins round uses the basic paytable, however, there are several additional features. Firstly, the enhancer cells at the top and bottom of the rows are unlocked. These can contain any of the high paying symbols or one of the following; wild symbol, xWays symbol, or razor split symbol.

Additionally, the bonus symbol can appear in the free spins. This will reveal an inmate symbol and award a multiplier bonus to boost your payout multiplier. The maximum multiplier from the bonus symbol is 3x. These free spins are the best way to trigger jackpot wins and the various bonus symbols can lead to big single payouts.

During the free spins, there is also a random amount of jumping wilds. For each spin, the jumping wild symbol will jump to a standard reel position. The maximum number of jumping wilds for the free spins is three. 

RTP & volatility

The San Quentin xWays RTP is 96.03% which is just above the current accepted industry average for video slots at 95-96%. In terms of volatility, this Nolimit City slot is considered a high volatility game. This means that you cannot expect to win often. However, when you do win, you can expect larger payouts. The best payouts and jackpots come from the free spin bonus rounds.