Which Gonzo’s Quest Slot is Best?

NetEnt has released four main Gonzo-branded slots: the original Gonzo’s Quest, the 2020 Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, the 2021 spin-off Gonzo’s Gold, and the full 2025 sequel Gonzo’s Quest II: Return to El Dorado. We played through the series to compare how the Avalanche mechanic, reel layouts, bonus features, RTP and payout potential have changed since Gonzo first appeared in 2010. You can compare Gonzo’s Quest with other classic and modern releases in our guide to the best NetEnt slots.

Gonzo’s Quest Slots Compared

For more game guides, mechanics, and comparisons across the wider casino catalogue, browse our online slots master hub.

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Highest RTP?

Gonzo’s Gold has the highest RTP in the series at 96.11%.

Gonzo’s Quest II follows at 96.06%, while the original Gonzo’s Quest has an RTP of 95.97%.

The difference between them is small. Gonzo’s Gold is only 0.14 percentage points above the original.

At $1,000 of total wagering, their theoretical house edges work out at roughly:

• Gonzo’s Gold: $38.90
• Gonzo’s Quest II: $39.40
• Gonzo’s Quest: $40.30

So RTP alone is unlikely to be the main reason to choose between these three. Their mechanics differ much more than their theoretical return percentages.

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Biggest Max Win?

Gonzo’s Quest II has the biggest maximum payout at 15,825x stake.

Gonzo’s Gold reaches 3,484x, while the original Gonzo’s Quest has a maximum payout of 2,200x.

The jump from the original to Gonzo’s Quest II is substantial:

15,825 ÷ 2,200 = 7.19

The full sequel therefore offers a maximum payout just over seven times larger than the 2010 game.

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Most Ways to Win?

Gonzo’s Quest II has the largest game grid in the series, reaching up to 262,144 ways to win when the reels expand to their full 6×8 size.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways reaches up to 117,649 ways.

The difference is:

262,144 ÷ 117,649 = about 2.23

At full expansion, Gonzo’s Quest II therefore offers slightly more than twice as many possible win ways as Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.

That does not mean an individual spin is twice as likely to be profitable. Ways to win describe the structure used to form combinations, not the overall RTP or probability of finishing a spin ahead.

How Did Gonzo’s Quest Change From 20 Paylines to 262,144 Ways?

The biggest structural change in the series is the move from fixed paylines to increasingly large ways-to-win systems.

The original Gonzo’s Quest uses a traditional 5×3 grid with 20 paylines.

Ten years later, Gonzo’s Quest Megaways replaced fixed paylines with a variable-reel setup offering as many as 117,649 ways.

Gonzo’s Quest II goes further. It starts on six reels and four rows, but every Avalanche win adds another row. The grid can eventually reach eight rows and 262,144 ways.

This gives the core Quest series a clear progression:

20 paylines → 117,649 ways → 262,144 ways

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Best Avalanche Feature?

Gonzo’s Quest II has the strongest version of the Avalanche mechanic because each winning Avalanche can both expand the reels and increase the active multiplier.

The original Gonzo’s Quest established the mechanic.

When a winning combination lands, those symbols disappear and new symbols fall into the empty positions. Another win can then form without requiring a new paid spin.

The base-game multiplier rises with consecutive Avalanches:

• first win: 1x
• next Avalanche: higher multiplier
• continued Avalanches: multiplier keeps climbing
• maximum base-game multiplier: 5x

During the original Free Fall feature, that maximum increases to 15x.

Gonzo’s Quest II preserves the cascading concept but adds expanding reels. Every successful Avalanche adds another row, up to four additional rows.

That means one winning sequence can increase both:

• the multiplier
• the number of active symbol positions

The sequel therefore turns Avalanche chains into a progression system rather than simply a sequence of cascading wins.

Is Gonzo’s Gold Really a Gonzo’s Quest Sequel?

Gonzo’s Gold is better described as a Gonzo spin-off than a direct sequel to Gonzo’s Quest.

It keeps the same explorer and Incan treasure theme, but it abandons the classic Avalanche structure.

Instead, Gonzo’s Gold uses a 5×5 grid and Free Spins based around a Golden Expanding Symbol.

Three or more Scatters trigger 10 Free Spins. Before the feature begins, one normal symbol is selected as the Golden Expanding Symbol.

If two or more of those symbols land next to each other horizontally or vertically, they can expand across their respective rows or reels.

This makes Gonzo’s Gold mechanically much closer to an expanding-symbol slot than to the original cascading-reel game.

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Best Free Spins?

Gonzo’s Quest II has the most powerful and varied Free Spins structure in the series.

The original gives 10 Free Falls and increases the potential Avalanche multiplier from 5x in the base game to as much as 15x during the bonus.

Gonzo’s Gold awards 10 Free Spins built around its Golden Expanding Symbol. Three or more Scatters during the feature can add another 10 spins.

Gonzo’s Quest II goes considerably further.

Landing 3, 4, 5 or 6 Scatters can award:

• 10 Free Spins
• 12 Free Spins
• 15 Free Spins
• 20 Free Spins

The reels remain expanded between spins during the bonus, unlike the base game where they reset after an Avalanche sequence ends.

The game can also trigger Super Free Spins when a colossal Scatter helps activate the feature.

What Makes Super Free Spins Different in Gonzo’s Quest II?

Super Free Spins can start with larger multipliers and increase them faster during each Avalanche chain.

The size of the colossal Scatter changes the multiplier structure.

A 2×2 Scatter starts at 2x and adds another 2x for each Avalanche.

A 3×3 Scatter starts at 3x and adds 3x.

A 4×4 Scatter starts at 5x and adds another 5x after each Avalanche.

That makes the 4×4 version particularly aggressive:

5x → 10x → 15x → 20x → 25x…

The multiplier can continue increasing while the Avalanche sequence continues.

This is a much more open-ended multiplier structure than the original Gonzo’s Quest, where the Free Fall multiplier is capped at 15x.

Which Gonzo Slot Has the Best Wild Feature?

Gonzo’s Quest II has the most advanced Wild system because it introduces both regular Wilds and Calamity Wilds.

The original keeps Wilds relatively simple. They substitute for paying symbols and can also substitute for the Free Fall Scatter, helping to trigger the bonus.

Gonzo’s Quest II adds another layer.

When a Calamity Wild forms part of a winning combination, it can place between three and six additional regular Wilds onto the reels before the next Avalanche begins.

The sequel can also contain colossal high-paying symbols measuring:

• 2×2
• 3×3
• 4×4

During the Random Wilds feature, these large symbols can be transformed into colossal Wilds.

That gives Quest II significantly more interaction between Wilds, reel expansion and cascading wins.

Which Gonzo Slot Is Best for Simple Gameplay?

The original Gonzo’s Quest is still the best choice for simple gameplay.

Its entire structure can be understood quickly:

• 20 paylines
• Avalanche wins
• increasing multipliers
• 10 Free Falls
• up to 15x multiplier during Free Falls

Gonzo’s Quest II keeps that basic DNA but adds expanding reels, colossal symbols, two Wild types, Super Free Spins and several optional Elevate modes.

Gonzo’s Gold removes the Avalanche system but introduces cluster-style wins and expanding golden symbols.

Players who want the cleanest version of the Gonzo formula will prefer the 2010 original.

Gonzo’s Quest vs Gonzo’s Quest II: Which Is Better?

Gonzo’s Quest II is the stronger game for payout potential and feature depth, while the original is better for simplicity.

Gonzo’s Quest II has:

• a higher RTP: 96.06% vs 95.97%
• a much larger max win: 15,825x vs 2,200x
• up to 262,144 ways instead of 20 paylines
• expanding reels
• Calamity Wilds
• colossal symbols
• Super Free Spins

The original has one major advantage: it is easier to follow.

Its Avalanche system remains the foundation of the sequel, but there are far fewer moving parts.

Did NetEnt Replace Megaways With Expanding Reels?

Gonzo’s Quest II effectively takes the series beyond Megaways by using its own expanding-grid system rather than simply repeating the 2020 format.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways can reach 117,649 ways.

Quest II can reach 262,144 ways, but it gets there differently.

Instead of randomly varying reel heights before each spin, the sequel starts at 6×4 and rewards successful Avalanche sequences by adding rows.

That makes grid expansion part of the win progression itself.

In other words:

• Megaways: reel size determines the number of ways before the result develops.
• Quest II: winning Avalanches make the grid larger as the sequence develops.

The sequel therefore brings the size of the play area directly into Gonzo’s original cascading-win mechanic.

How Has the Gonzo Series Changed Since 2010?

The Gonzo series has evolved from a simple 20-payline Avalanche slot into games with hundreds of thousands of win ways, expanding grids, colossal symbols and much larger payout ceilings.

The most interesting change is that NetEnt eventually returned to the original Avalanche idea rather than replacing it.

Gonzo’s Quest II feels less like another remake and more like the original mechanic being rebuilt around 15 years of newer slot design.

Which Gonzo Slot Should You Play?

Best overall: Gonzo’s Quest II: Return to El Dorado

Its 96.06% RTP, 15,825x maximum payout, expanding reels, Calamity Wilds and Super Free Spins give it the strongest overall combination of math and features.

Best for RTP: Gonzo’s Gold

Its 96.11% RTP is the highest in the series.

Best for simple gameplay: Gonzo’s Quest

The original remains the cleanest expression of the Avalanche mechanic and has far fewer bonus systems to learn.

Best for Megaways: Gonzo’s Quest Megaways

The 2020 version expands the original concept to as many as 117,649 ways while keeping the Gonzo’s Quest identity.

Best for bonus complexity: Gonzo’s Quest II

Expanding reels, colossal Scatters, Calamity Wilds, Free Spins, Super Free Spins and Elevate options make it comfortably the most feature-heavy game in the series.

Best for something different: Gonzo’s Gold

The 5×5 cluster grid and Golden Expanding Symbol feature make it the least similar to the original and the best choice if you like Gonzo but want a different type of slot.

For most players choosing between them today, Gonzo’s Quest II: Return to El Dorado is our overall pick because it retains the original Avalanche concept while dramatically expanding the grid, feature set and maximum payout.