The free spins trigger, wilds start expanding across the reels, and then the ocean goes quiet between features for longer than you’d like. If you have run dry on Wild Depths and want slots like Wild Depths that keep the same underwater tension, your best moves are Release the Kraken, Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack, and Pirate Gold Deluxe. All three stay in ocean territory while offering different feature sets that break up the rhythm without abandoning the deep-sea atmosphere.
Top picks for slots like Wild Depths are: Release the Kraken, Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack, Pirate Gold Deluxe. Original provider: Pragmatic Play. RTP: 96.50% (Varies). Volatility: High.
Quick answer: Wild Depths uses expanding wilds in an ocean setting, and these three alternatives pair aquatic themes with varied bonus mechanics that deliver similar high-volatility swings.
- Release the Kraken – expanding grid from 4×4 to 8×8 with colossal ocean symbols and 10,000x potential
- Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack – underwater money collect with crab wilds and 6,000x ceiling
- Pirate Gold Deluxe – ocean pirate theme with Lucky Treasure Bag and 15,000x max win
The Mechanics Behind Wild Depths
Wild Depths plays on a standard reel setup with expanding wilds as the central feature. During free spins, wild symbols stretch across their reels, covering multiple positions and creating wider winning combinations than the base game allows. The ocean theme is more than decorative – the deep-sea setting frames a slot where the base game feels submerged and quiet, then the bonus round surfaces with expanded coverage across the grid. Hit frequency sits in typical high-volatility range, meaning base game returns are scattered and the real weight sits inside the feature. The expanding wild mechanic creates a specific kind of anticipation: each wild that lands during free spins visibly changes the reel landscape, and you can see the potential building as covered positions accumulate. Win distribution clusters heavily around the bonus round rather than spreading evenly across a session.
Wild Depths Against the Closest Alternatives
| Slot Name | Provider | RTP (%) | Volatility | Max Win (x stake) | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Depths | Pragmatic Play | 96.50 | High | 5,000x | Expanding wilds in free spins |
| Release the Kraken | Pragmatic Play | 96.50 | High | 10,000x | Expanding grid + colossal symbols |
| Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack | Pragmatic Play | 96.03 | High | 6,000x | Crab collect + free spins |
| Pirate Gold Deluxe | Pragmatic Play | 96.50 | High | 15,000x | Lucky Treasure Bag + free spins |
| Big Bass Splash | Pragmatic Play | 96.71 | High | 5,000x | Money collect + pre-spin modifiers |
| Congo Cash | Pragmatic Play | 96.51 | High | 5,000x | Hold and Spin money collect |
RTP and max win can vary by slot version, so the in-game paytable is the cleanest source for the exact numbers.
Release the Kraken
Similarity: The ocean mythology setting creates the same atmospheric weight as Wild Depths, and the expanding grid mechanic – growing from 4×4 to a massive 8×8 during the Kraken feature – mirrors the expanding wild concept on a grander scale. Standout feature: Colossal symbols and the grid expansion mean that wins physically grow larger across the screen, turning a compact base game into something visually overwhelming during the bonus. Best for: Players who enjoy the deep-sea atmosphere of Wild Depths but want a more dramatic transformation between base game and bonus round. Drawback: The expanding grid mechanic can feel chaotic compared to the cleaner expanding wild format, and base game sessions on the smaller 4×4 grid are more compressed than standard 5-reel layouts.
Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack
Similarity: Same underwater cartoon aesthetic and high-volatility pacing, with bonus-heavy win distribution that clusters payouts inside the feature round rather than spreading them across base play. That same tension lives in the crab collect mechanic, where each crab wild that appears during free spins extends the feature’s value. Standout feature: The crab collect system works like a fisherman wild from Big Bass Bonanza but with underwater flair – crab symbols collect money values on screen, creating a visible accumulation that builds anticipation spin by spin. Best for: Players who want the underwater theme paired with a money collect mechanic that gives each bonus spin a clear, trackable purpose. Drawback: RTP drops to 96.03% at the highest setting, noticeably below Wild Depths’ 96.50%, which affects long-session expected returns.
Pirate Gold Deluxe
Similarity: Ocean-adjacent pirate theme with high-volatility swings and a bonus structure where the real payouts happen inside the feature rather than the base game. The build hits differently when treasure bags appear on screen – each one holds a hidden value that only reveals during the Lucky Treasure Bag feature. Standout feature: Max win reaches 15,000x stake, tripling Wild Depths’ ceiling. The Lucky Treasure Bag mechanic adds a reveal element that expanding wilds lack, trading gradual visual build for sudden value reveals. Best for: Players who want ocean-themed volatility with significantly higher max win potential and a collect-style bonus that differs from expanding wilds. Drawback: The pirate theme is more surface-action than deep-sea atmosphere, so the mood shift from Wild Depths is noticeable despite both being ocean slots.
Big Bass Splash
Similarity: Water-based theme with high-volatility pacing and feature-dependent win distribution. The money collect mechanic produces a similar tension to expanding wilds – watching fisherman wilds land and collect values from fish symbols mirrors the visual accumulation of expanding wilds covering reel positions. Standout feature: Pre-spin modifiers can enhance the bonus round before it even starts, adding extra money symbols or fisherman wilds to the reels. This front-loads the anticipation in a way Wild Depths never does. Best for: Players who want water-themed high-volatility action with the highest RTP of this group at 96.71% and a proven franchise behind it. Drawback: The fishing lake setting is a long way from deep-sea atmosphere, and the money collect mechanic operates on fundamentally different logic than expanding wilds.
Congo Cash
Similarity: High-volatility pacing with a Hold and Spin feature that produces the same concentrated-burst win pattern as Wild Depths’ expanding wild free spins. Both slots deliver quiet base games punctuated by feature rounds where the real value sits. Standout feature: The jungle setting swaps ocean for rainforest, but the Hold and Spin mechanic – locking money symbols and respinning for more – creates a different flavour of the same building tension. Each respin either adds to the total or ends the feature. Best for: Players who enjoy the feature-dependent pacing of Wild Depths and want to try the Hold and Spin format in a nature setting that feels similarly immersive. Drawback: No ocean theme at all, which matters if the deep-sea atmosphere was a core part of what made Wild Depths appealing.
At £20 / €20 / $20 stake, a 10,000x max win on Release the Kraken would return £200,000 / €200,000 / $200,000.
When Wild Depths Isn’t Clicking
If the expanding wilds feel too passive and you want a mechanic where each bonus spin has a visible, countable impact, Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack turns every crab symbol into a tangible value add during the feature. The collect mechanic makes each spin feel purposeful rather than hoping for wilds to land in useful positions. If the 5,000x ceiling feels limiting after extended sessions, Pirate Gold Deluxe triples the max win to 15,000x stake while staying in ocean territory, giving high-volatility sessions a larger target to justify the longer dry stretches between features.
| Slot | Wilds | Scatters | Bonus Rounds | Multipliers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Depths | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Release the Kraken | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pirate Gold Deluxe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Big Bass Splash | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Congo Cash | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Common Questions
What slot is most similar to Wild Depths?
Release the Kraken is the closest match. Both are Pragmatic Play ocean-themed slots with high volatility and expanding mechanics during the bonus round. Release the Kraken’s grid expansion from 4×4 to 8×8 mirrors the visual growth that expanding wilds create in Wild Depths, and the max win doubles to 10,000x stake.
Are there slots with higher RTP than Wild Depths?
Big Bass Splash offers 96.71% compared to Wild Depths’ 96.50%, making it the highest-RTP water-themed alternative. For the biggest RTP jump within Pragmatic Play, The Catfather reaches 98.10%, though its cat-mafia theme has nothing in common with ocean slots.
What Pragmatic Play slots are like Wild Depths?
Within Pragmatic Play’s ocean and water catalogue, Release the Kraken, Lobster Bob’s Crazy Crab Shack, Pirate Gold Deluxe, and Big Bass Splash all share aquatic settings with high-volatility pacing. Each uses a different bonus mechanic, but the feature-heavy win distribution pattern matches Wild Depths closely.
Can I play slots like Wild Depths for free?
All five alternatives listed here are available in demo mode at casinos that offer Pragmatic Play free play. Demo versions run identical mechanics and features to real-money play, so you can test whether a slot’s bonus rhythm suits your preference before wagering.
Is Wild Depths part of a series?
Wild Depths is a standalone slot, not part of a franchise series like Big Bass or Lobster Bob. This means there are no direct sequels or variant versions – the alternatives above are the closest options within the ocean theme.
Closest mechanical match: Release the Kraken. Best overall alternative: Pirate Gold Deluxe. Release the Kraken replicates the expanding mechanic in an ocean setting with double the max win, making it the natural next step. Pirate Gold Deluxe offers the best combination of ocean theme, high-volatility action, and ceiling potential at 15,000x stake – a meaningful upgrade over Wild Depths’ 5,000x cap without sacrificing the aquatic atmosphere that matters to fans of the original.