Starburst Slot

The real magic of Starburst’s popularity, though, is its similarity to the likes of Bejeweled and Candy Crush. These two games are not casino-based, but they’re extremely popular with casual gamers. It’s fair to say that Starburst acts as a bridge into the online casino world for fans of those titles.

People enjoy familiarity, and when combined with smooth and entertaining gameplay, the result is often positive. This is exactly what we have seen with Starburst over the years. It boasts colourful, charming presentation throughout, and while it doesn’t include any specific bonus rounds or huge jackpots, there is still an ever-increasing demand for the game among slot lovers.

We’ll be looking at the critical details of this famous slot game, from the in-game symbols to all the winning combinations, which can lead to big prizes. So, let’s kick it all off by exploring the game developer behind Starburst — one of the biggest brands in the iGaming industry: NetEnt.

Created by NetEnt Studios

NetEnt is a famous software studio in the online casino industry. It has been this way ever since the company was founded in 1996. The Scandinavian-based studio has continuously designed, developed, and released a host of top-line titles, from slots and table games to a live dealer casino platform. NetEnt’s slot games have created the most significant buzz, though. Games such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Dead or Alive, and Piggy Riches are just some of the hugely popular titles that have already burst through the NetEnt studio doors and into the iGaming world. 

You can usually expect innovative features from a NetEnt slot game. Still, as we will find out, sometimes simple slot design is all it takes to capture the imagination of countless online casino fans.

History of the Game

Back in 2012, Starburst took casino gamers by surprise when it exploded onto the scene. Here was a game that was unlike any other created before, so much so that people were unsure about its gameplay to begin with. But it didn’t take long for the game’s simplicity and charm to take over, though. 

Fast forward to today, and Starburst is constantly found within the ‘Featured Game’ lists of the top online casinos. It’s a game used by casinos to attract new players with free spins, and once you give it a try, you’ll understand just why this slot is loved by so many. Even without the extra bells and whistles of many of the other NetEnt games, Starburst still manages to engage new and experienced casino players worldwide.

Starburst Gameplay Overview – Wagering, AutoPlay, RTP

As we touched on above, Starburst includes the typical five reels, three rows, and 10 paylines seen in many other slots. The ‘win both ways’ technology does give you a total of 20 possible winning combinations if you manage to match up at least three, four, or five symbols. The game lets you spin for as little as 10p, and you can venture up to a total of £100 per spin if your budget reaches that high. It’s another useful feature that allows anyone from casual gamers to high rollers to play the game. 

The AutoPlay feature is also available on Starburst. With this in play, you can sit back and watch the game unfold with multiple options, from 10 to 1,000 spins. A useful responsible gambling feature allows you to stop the game when you hit a particular winning or losing amount. It’s a convenient way to keep your gaming in check, which leads us to the game’s overall volatility. 

Starburst is considered to be a low variance game, which suggests you could expect to see frequent small wins. NetEnt claims the Hit Frequency (the winning frequency) is set to 22.65% and proves that along with the low volatility, you should be able to gain a few wins when playing.

The Starburst RTP is set to 96.09%, which sits pretty much on the fence in terms of the broader RTP average found at a typical online casino. Technically, this suggests that the game would pay £96.09 for every £100 wagered on it. There’s one crucial detail to remember here: RTP is calculated as an average for all spins from all players within a specific time frame.

How to Play Starburst

The first thing you need to do before you start spinning the Starburst reels is to select the right bet per spin amounts. In this game, you need to choose your bet level and the coin value as well. The coin value will let you select an amount from 1p up to £1. The bet level is the defined multiplier of your coin value, and this allows you to select any number from 1-10.

The total bet per spin is calculated by multiplying the bet level by the coin size. Level 1 will multiply your coin size by 10, and level 2 will multiply your coin size by 20, and so on. This all relates back to the minimum 10p and a maximum of £100 bets. Remember: your total stake depends on the combination of your selected bet ‘level’ and coin value. It’s straightforward to understand once you open the game and start adjusting the values.

If your budget allows, the Max Bet button will give you the maximum playing values available in the game, which is that big £100 per spin amount. Once you’ve decided how much you’re willing to bet per spin, simply press the ‘spin’ button in the centre to start playing Starburst.

One of Starburst’s main attractions is its charm. This is all down to those colourful, dynamic symbols. Visually, Starburst is one of the most beautiful games NetEnt has produced, and the celestial soundtrack helps to make the gameplay even more immersive too. Starburst slot strategy can be crated if you know payout combinations that we are going to pass now. The symbols include five different coloured jewels, a lucky 7, and the classic BAR symbol. Nothing fancy here: just simple designs with plenty of colour. But what about the symbol values? 

Check out the following table and learn more about the winning payline combinations:

The one thing to remember here is the ‘win both ways’ feature, which is always in play. Win both ways means that you will pick up a payout worth 500x your stake if you land 5x BAR symbols, as you would win both the left-to-right and right-to-left combinations. 

We feel that this two-way payline technology helps to make up for the lack of major bonus rounds in the game. This leads us into Starburst’s main feature: the colourful and potentially-lucrative Starburst Wild.

Starburst Slot Features

A surprising thing about Starburst is that it features zero bonus rounds and only one major in-game feature, in the shape of a Wild symbol. That the game has become so popular without a standout free spin feature or a bonus round side game is astonishing. The Wild symbol helps to give the game a unique boost along the way, though, and we’ll explain how that special symbol works below.

In Starburst, the Wild is represented by a multi-colour star icon. The wild symbol has the power to substitute all other symbols on reels two, three, and four. You will only ever see them on these middle three reels, but they make up for that with an Expanding and Respin ability. So, whenever you manage to land a Starburst Wild, you will see them expand to cover the whole reel, increasing your winning potential. 

The Respin ability can be triggered up to three times in a row. These spins give you the chance to fill all three middle reels with Wilds, and this is the moment when you start reaping the rewards! Rich rewards will come in the form of cash prizes. 

As we know, Starburst isn’t packed with features. However, it still holds plenty of winning potential on every spin, especially if you manage to land those Starburst Wilds.

NetEnt clearly understands the importance of mobile gaming, and Starburst is perfect proof of this. In today’s gaming world, players want the ability to dive into their games wherever and whenever they like. 

We all know about the popularity of mobile games, like the smash-hit Candy Crush that we discussed earlier in this review. It was only a matter of time before the casino game crowds demanded the same flexible portability of their favourite casino games. The likes of NetEnt and other top software providers soon made the necessary design changes to the majority of their slots, allowing for that smooth transition from gaming on a desktop to mobile.

Starburst mobile gives you all the slick visuals and features that you would expect on the desktop version. The touchscreen controls allow you to select your bet stakes with ease, and the big ‘spin’ button lets you get straight into the action. 

Redesigned graphics and paytables mean that you can easily read the rules and view all of the reels on whatever mobile device you might be playing. Smartphones, tablets, and notebooks work flawlessly. So, it all comes down to one key fact: you can sit and play Starburst whenever you feel like it.

Starburst is now an iconic slot game in the online casino industry, as seasoned players are bound to know. It took some time for players to get used to Starburst’s streamlined simplicity, and we can understand that. There was nothing else quite like it when it was released back in 2012, after all. 

Now, Starburst video slot is loved by millions. Sometimes people want a game that they feel is easy to play without having to worry about the latest gimmicks and features. Starburst offers precisely that: simple gameplay and structure, with visuals that are colourful and charming. The stake limits are designed to suit all types of budgets. Although there are only a few features within the game, the potential to land huge multipliers is evident with every spin of the reels!