Play'n GO

The short version

Play'n GO is a studio that treats its games like a cast of characters. Rich Wilde, the Moon Princesses and the Reactoonz aliens appear in game after game, and each new entry changes the rules while keeping a familiar face. That makes its catalogue easier to navigate than most. Pick a series you like and there is usually a sequel or spin-off that plays a little differently.

We don't list any Play'n GO games on SlotsRanker yet. The demo network we use carries 495 titles from this studio, so this review focuses on the studio and its series rather than on individual pages here.

From Växjö to more than 35 markets

Play'n GO says its roots are in Växjö, Sweden, the city where the company was founded. It has sponsored the local ice hockey club, Växjö Lakers, for more than ten years. Johan Törnqvist is the co-founder and chief executive.

Sources give different founding dates, so we haven't listed one. In a profile by iGaming Business, Törnqvist describes a mobile-first approach from the mid-2000s, before smartphones became common.

Its published licences include the UK Gambling Commission (account 55949), the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/B2B/225/2012) and the Gibraltar Licensing Authority (RGL No. 131). Its company pages list registered offices in Valletta, Malta, and in Gibraltar. The studio says it is live in more than 35 jurisdictions and has more than 400 titles.

How a Play'n GO series is built

Play'n GO's own series page shows the pattern clearly. Each series has a world, a set of characters and one core mechanic. Later games then build on that.

The Wilde series. Rich Wilde, his daughter Cat and Uncle Gerard travel the world. The original Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead uses expanding symbols in free spins. One symbol is chosen for the round, and it grows to fill whole reels when enough of it lands. Later games moved further from that design. Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead, which Play'n GO called the 17th Wilde instalment, uses cluster pays on a 5x5 grid with multiplier wilds.

The Dead series. Legacy of Dead and Scroll of Dead are separate from Rich Wilde's own story. They keep the Egyptian theme and the same basic idea of free spins with an expanding symbol.

Reactoonz. A 7x7 grid with cascades and cluster pays. Winning groups disappear, new symbols fall in, and each chain reaction fills a meter that can trigger special features. Energoonz, Reactoonz 2 and Dr Toonz use the same setting.

Moon Princess. A 5x5 grid with cascading symbols and the Girl Power feature. Moon Princess 100, Power of Love and Christmas Kingdom continue the series.

GEMIX and Rise of Olympus. GEMIX uses cluster pays on a 7x7 grid across three worlds. Rise of Olympus lets you choose between Zeus, Poseidon and Hades in free spins, and each god brings a different bonus.

Two design families, not one

Most of the catalogue falls into two groups. The first is the 5x3 line slot with expanding symbols, as in the Book of Dead family. These games are easy to read: you are waiting for one feature and one special symbol. The second is the large cascading grid, as in Reactoonz, GEMIX and Moon Princess. Here the value comes from chain reactions across the grid, and it is harder to tell how a spin is going while it plays out.

If you know which family you prefer, the catalogue becomes much easier to browse. The series names tell you more than the themes do.

RTP and volatility

Game pages on Play'n GO's website show an RTP and a volatility rating for each title. We haven't found a studio-wide statement about how many RTP versions it supplies, so we don't make general claims about lower versions here. When we add Play'n GO games to SlotsRanker, each game page will show its own verified figures.

Who Play'n GO suits

Its games suit players who like to follow a story or a set of characters across releases. They also suit players who want to compare a classic line slot with a grid slot from the same studio. If you only want the newest mechanics, some of the older series entries may feel dated.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Clear, well-organised series with recurring characters.
• Offers both simple line slots and cascading grid slots.
• Publishes its licence details on its own site.

Cons

• Many titles reuse the same expanding-symbol idea, especially in the Egyptian games.
• None of its games are on SlotsRanker yet, so you can't compare them here.

Play'n GO FAQs