5 Lions Gold Slot Review
We played 5 Lions Gold across proper sessions before writing this 5 Lions Gold slot review, because the seven free spins options require real experience to understand which suits which playing style. Pragmatic Play released it in 2019 as a sequel to the original 5 Lions, adding three fixed jackpots, a Caishen Random Award pick-me feature and a seven-way free spins choice where you trade spin count for multiplier level. The game runs on 243 ways to win, carries a 96.50% RTP and a maximum win of 7,342x your stake. There is no bonus buy. The Golden Reels Jackpot can land on any base game spin. This review covers all the moving parts so you know what you are getting into.
| Provider: | Pragmatic Play |
| RTP: | 96.50% |
| Type: | Video Slots |
| Launched: | 2019 |
| Volatility: | High |
| Max Win: | 7342x |
| Min/Max Bet: | $0.18/$90.00 |
5 Lions Gold Demo
Where To Play 5 Lions Gold
- FastPay100% up to NZ$750 + 100 Free SpinsSecond deposit bonus 75% up to NZ$75
Author: Liam Harrington
5 Lions Gold Slot Game Overview
5 Lions Gold is a five-reel, three-row video slot from Pragmatic Play released in 2019 as the sequel to the original 5 Lions. It uses a 243 ways-to-win format where wins form left to right on any of the 243 symbol combinations across three rows and five reels. The Asian theme features dragons, phoenixes, koi fish, frogs and turtles as premium symbols with gold-accented design, all set against a traditional Chinese backdrop of swirling clouds and pagoda imagery. The dragon symbol is the top-paying regular symbol at 7x your stake for five of a kind. The Yin Yang symbol is the scatter. The lion wild appears on reels two through four. The 5 Lions Gold online slot carries a 96.50% RTP, high volatility, and a maximum win of 7,342x your stake driven by the seven free spins options and wild multipliers.
Our review of 5 Lions Gold found a game that earns its reputation through the free spins choice system. The ability to select between twenty-four spins at modest multipliers and six spins at wild multipliers reaching 40x gives players genuine strategic input into how they want to approach the bonus round. The random Golden Reels Jackpot and Caishen Random Award add base game disruption without requiring scatter triggers. The visual presentation is competent but not a leap forward from the original. What matters more is the mathematical design, and the seven free spins options give this game more replay interest than a standard scatter-plus-multiplier structure would.
5 Lions Gold Payouts, Volatility and RTP
The 5 Lions Gold slot review numbers start with a 96.50% RTP, above the online slot industry average of 96%. The actual range at some operators runs from 95.94% up to 96.52%, with the jackpot allocation factoring into the range spread. Check the in-game paytable at your casino before playing. RTP is a long-run theoretical measure. High-volatility sessions can vary significantly above and below it.
The standard paytable has the dragon at the top paying 7x your stake for five of a kind. The phoenix, frog, koi fish and tortoise follow in descending order. Card royals from 9 to A fill the low end. Wild multipliers during free spins apply to every winning combination the lion wild participates in. The three fixed jackpots from the Golden Reels feature add a separate ceiling: Minor at 15x, Major at 150x and Grand at 2,000x your stake. The 5 Lions Gold online slot reaches its 7,342x maximum through an extended free spins session at the highest-multiplier option where lion wilds land frequently across 243 ways with each wild multiplying all wins it contributes to.
| Slot Name | 5 Lions Gold |
|---|---|
| Game Provider | Pragmatic Play |
| RTP | 96.50% |
| Volatility | High |
| Paylines | 243 |
| Bonus Buy | No |
| Progressive Jackpot | No |
5 Lions Gold carries high volatility despite the 243 ways-to-win format which might suggest more frequent wins than a 20-payline game. The three fixed jackpots allocated a portion of the RTP, meaning a smaller share goes to standard payline wins and free spins compared to a game without a jackpot component. The result is a game that feels active at the surface through the 243 ways and random features but delivers meaningful session outcomes primarily through the free spins and jackpot routes.
The seven free spins options create a useful tension point: the six-spin 40x multiplier option is the highest-volatility path, producing excellent outcomes when wilds land but very poor ones when they do not. The twenty-four-spin option at lower multipliers is the most consistent path. Most experienced players gravitate toward the fifteen or thirteen-spin middle options as a balance. The absence of a bonus buy means all features trigger through natural play, which suits the game’s pacing as a patient session slot.
5 Lions Gold Bonuses and Special Features
5 Lions Gold online slot bonuses operate through three layers: the randomly triggered Golden Reels Jackpot which can fire on any base game spin, the Caishen Random Award which can deliver free spins or a jackpot bonus on any spin, and the seven free spins options with variable multipliers and spin counts triggered by scatter symbols. No cascades and no bonus buy exist. 5 Lions Gold slot game features are structured around three independent reward routes that each operate differently in terms of trigger method and payout type, giving the game more session variety than its visual simplicity suggests.
Golden Reels Jackpot
The Golden Reels Jackpot activates randomly on any base game spin. When triggered, between three and five reels turn gold. Three golden reels awards the Minor jackpot of 15x your stake. Four golden reels awards the Major jackpot of 150x your stake. Five golden reels awards the Grand jackpot of 2,000x your stake. All three jackpots are fixed amounts rather than progressives, meaning they are always available at those values regardless of how long since the last trigger.
The randomness of the Golden Reels Jackpot is its defining characteristic: it can activate on any spin including low-bet spins without requiring any specific symbol combination. This means every base game spin carries a small but real possibility of landing the Grand Jackpot payout of 2,000x. In practice the trigger is infrequent, but its presence on every spin gives the base game a layer of excitement that keeps sessions from feeling entirely passive between free spins triggers.
Caishen Random Award
The Caishen Random Award activates randomly during base game play. When it fires, the god of wealth Caishen appears on screen and presents a pick-me selection of coins. Choosing from the available options reveals either a free spins award that enters the free spins bonus round or a jackpot bonus that reveals one of the three fixed jackpot prizes. The Caishen Random Award provides a second pathway to free spins without requiring the three-scatter combination from natural reel play.
The Caishen feature fires with sufficient regularity to make it a meaningful contributor to session activity. Its dual outcome of either free spins or a jackpot means any activation carries genuine value. Players who find the three-scatter natural trigger slow to arrive benefit from the Caishen feature providing additional pathways to the feature at random points during base play.
Seven Free Spins Options
The seven free spins options are the defining feature of 5 Lions Gold and the mechanic that separates it from most competing Asian-themed slots. Three scatter symbols trigger the choice screen. The seven options range from twenty-four free spins with the lowest multiplier tier (wild multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x per spin) down to six free spins with the highest multiplier tier (wild multipliers of 15x, 30x or 40x per spin). A seventh mystery option randomly assigns a spin count and multiplier combination. On each spin within the chosen option, the lion wild applies a randomly selected multiplier from the available range to every winning combination it contributes to.
The mathematics of the choice are straightforward: more spins give more chances for wins but lower individual multipliers. Fewer spins with higher multipliers rely on productive wild landings to generate results. The six-spin 40x option is the path to the 7,342x maximum win when wilds land in key positions across 243 ways with the highest multiplier running. Additional scatters during free spins can retrigger the feature with additional spins at the same chosen multiplier level.
How to Play 5 Lions Gold
5 Lions Gold has more decision-making built into the free spins trigger than most Pragmatic Play slots. Understanding the seven options before choosing them is the most important preparation. Here is how to get started.
- 1
Set your bet
5 Lions Gold accepts bets from $0.18 to $90.00 per spin across 243 fixed ways to win. Use the coin value and bet level controls to set your stake. There is no bonus buy. All features trigger naturally. Check the in-game paytable to confirm which RTP version your casino runs before starting. The standard configuration is 96.50%. - 2
Watch for the Golden Reels Jackpot and Caishen Award on any spin
Both the Golden Reels Jackpot and the Caishen Random Award can activate on any base game spin without scatter symbols. The Golden Reels Jackpot turns three to five reels gold and pays Minor 15x, Major 150x or Grand 2,000x your stake. The Caishen Award presents a pick-me selection that reveals either free spins access or a jackpot prize. Neither requires any specific symbol combination to trigger. - 3
Trigger free spins with three scatter symbols
Three Yin Yang scatter symbols anywhere on the five reels triggers the seven free spins choice screen. Before the feature starts, choose from seven options ranging from twenty-four spins with multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x per wild landing, to six spins with multipliers of 15x, 30x or 40x per wild landing. A mystery seventh option randomly assigns a combination. Your choice determines the bonus round structure for the entire feature. - 4
Choose your free spins option based on risk preference
The twenty-four-spin option provides the most total spins at the lowest individual multiplier. The six-spin option provides the highest potential per wild landing but minimal margin for error. The fifteen-spin mid-tier option with multipliers of 5x, 8x or 10x is the balanced choice most players favour for consistent results. The lion wild on reels two through four applies the randomly selected multiplier from your chosen range to every winning combination it participates in during the feature. - 5
Watch for retriggers during free spins
Landing additional scatter symbols during free spins adds more spins to your current session at the same multiplier level you originally selected. Retriggers extend the total number of wild multiplier opportunities. A retrigger during a six-spin 40x session that adds several spins gives the high-multiplier option more time to deliver on its potential. Free spins and retriggers are where the 7,342x maximum win originates.
5 Lions Gold Online Slot: Pros and Cons
5 Lions Gold is one of the more interesting Pragmatic Play Asian-theme slot designs. The seven free spins options give players genuine choice over bonus round structure, the three fixed jackpots add a random ceiling accessible on any spin, the 96.50% RTP is above average, and the 7,342x maximum win is achievable through the highest-multiplier free spins option with productive wild coverage. The main limitations are the absence of a bonus buy, the fixed jackpot RTP allocation which slightly reduces payline win frequency, and the base game which can feel slow between the random feature activations.
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Seven free spins options give genuine player choice between high spin count at lower multipliers and low spin count at wild multipliers reaching 40x. - Golden Reels Jackpot triggering randomly on any spin adds a Minor/Major/Grand jackpot ceiling accessible outside the free spins feature.
- RTP of 96.50% is above the online slot industry average and competitive for a game with both jackpot and multiplier pathways.
- Caishen Random Award provides a secondary free spins access route that fires during base game play without requiring the three-scatter combination.
- 243 ways-to-win structure produces enough frequent small wins in the base game to sustain sessions while waiting for feature triggers.
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Fixed jackpot RTP allocation reduces the share going to standard payline wins and free spins compared to non-jackpot games at the same headline RTP. - No bonus buy option means all three bonus routes must trigger naturally through base game play, demanding patience at high volatility.
- Visual presentation is competent but dated compared to later Pragmatic Play releases, lacking the level of graphical polish found in more recent titles.
5 Lions Gold Final Thoughts
5 Lions Gold is a well-structured slot that earns its reputation through the free spins choice system. Seven options ranging from high-spin-count low-multiplier to low-spin-count high-multiplier gives the bonus round genuine replay interest across multiple sessions. The Golden Reels Jackpot adding a random ceiling on every spin and the Caishen Award providing secondary free spins access make the base game more active than a standard scatter-wait game. In testing, the balanced fifteen-spin option produced the most consistent bonus results while the six-spin 40x option delivered both the best and worst individual features.
We recommend 5 Lions Gold to fans of Asian-themed slots who appreciate player choice over bonus round structure, to players looking for a game with both jackpot and multiplier routes, and to anyone who wants an above-average RTP with multiple feature pathways. Try the free demo to test all seven free spins options and find which suits your bankroll and volatility preference before playing for real.
FAQ
What is the RTP of 5 Lions Gold?
5 Lions Gold has a default RTP of 96.50%, above the online slot industry average of 96%. The RTP range can vary between approximately 95.94% and 96.52% at different operators due to the jackpot component allocation. Always check the in-game paytable at your chosen casino before playing to confirm which version is active.
How do the seven free spins options work in 5 Lions Gold?
The seven free spins options range from twenty-four spins with wild multipliers of 2x, 3x or 5x per landing, through five intermediate options, to six spins with wild multipliers of 15x, 30x or 40x per landing. A seventh mystery option randomly selects a combination. On each free spin, the lion wild applies a randomly chosen multiplier from the selected range to every winning combination it contributes to. Additional scatters during free spins retrigger the feature with more spins at the same chosen level.
How does the Golden Reels Jackpot work?
The Golden Reels Jackpot activates randomly on any base game spin without requiring scatter symbols. When triggered, between three and five of the five reels turn gold. Three golden reels pays the Minor jackpot at 15x your stake. Four golden reels pays the Major at 150x. Five golden reels pays the Grand jackpot at 2,000x your stake. All three are fixed amounts always available at those values.
What is the maximum win in 5 Lions Gold?
The maximum win in 5 Lions Gold is 7,342x your total stake. It is achieved through the free spins feature at the highest multiplier option when lion wilds land with 40x multipliers across multiple 243-way combinations simultaneously. At the maximum bet of $90 per spin the 7,342x payout equals $660,780.
What is the Caishen Random Award?
The Caishen Random Award activates randomly during base game play. The god of wealth Caishen appears and presents a pick-me coin selection. Choosing from the options reveals either a free spins award that enters the bonus round directly, or a jackpot bonus that awards one of the three fixed jackpot prizes. The Caishen feature is a secondary pathway to free spins that does not require the three-scatter combination from natural reel play.
Does 5 Lions Gold have a bonus buy?
No. 5 Lions Gold does not include a bonus buy option. The free spins feature must trigger naturally through landing three scatter symbols, or through the Caishen Random Award activating during base game play. Players who want direct feature access should consider other Pragmatic Play titles with bonus buy functionality.
If you enjoy the Asian theme and multiplier wild system of 5 Lions Gold, the original 5 Lions from Pragmatic Play delivers the same setting with a simpler feature structure. 5 Lions Megaways from the same studio takes the theme to 200,704 ways with the Megaways engine. For Chinese-themed slots with different mechanics, Dragon Kingdom from Pragmatic Play uses stacked symbols and free spins multiplier choices on a 25-payline format. Here are some other titles our readers also enjoy.
