Slots Like Merlin’s Grimoire

Merlin’s Grimoire wraps very high volatility around a splitting symbol engine that pushes ways to win from 243 up to 7,776 during a single round, and when sessions connect, the escalation feels unlike anything else in Play’n GO’s catalogue. If you want slots like Merlin’s Grimoire that carry the same expanding-ways tension with that Arthurian atmosphere, Rise of Merlin, The Green Knight, and Legacy of Gems Blitzways each match a different slice of the mechanical profile while standing firmly on their own terms.

Top picks for slots like Merlin’s Grimoire are: Rise of Merlin, The Green Knight, Legacy of Gems Blitzways. Original provider: Play’n GO. RTP: 96.20% (Varies). Volatility: Very High.

Breaking down Merlin’s Grimoire session flow

Merlin’s Grimoire opens on a 5×3 grid with 243 ways to win, but that number is temporary. Splitting symbols are the defining mechanic: specific symbols can divide into two during a spin, expanding individual reel heights from 3 rows up to 6. When multiple reels expand simultaneously, the ways count rockets from 243 toward the 7,776 ceiling, transforming the payout grid mid-feature.

The session rhythm this creates is distinctly back-loaded. Base game spins play out on a relatively compact grid, and most wins land small. Then the splitting mechanic fires during bonus rounds and the entire grid reshapes, generating cascading chains across a suddenly much wider ways structure. Very high volatility means bonus triggers are spaced further apart than typical Play’n GO releases, roughly every 120 spins. The 31,104x max win puts this slot in the upper tier of the provider’s entire catalogue. When splitting symbols align on multiple reels inside a single round, the payout architecture changes dramatically compared to the base game, and that gap between quiet spins and explosive features is the session fingerprint to match.

RTP and max win can vary by slot version, so the in-game paytable is the cleanest source for the exact numbers.

Rise of Merlin

Similarity: Same Merlin character, same provider, and the same core principle of symbols expanding across reels during free spins, though Rise of Merlin uses the classic book mechanic rather than splitting symbols. Standout feature: RTP reaches 96.58% at the top tier, which is 0.38% higher than Merlin’s Grimoire and among the best values in Play’n GO’s entire catalogue. Best for: Players who want the Merlin theme with a simpler, more familiar expanding symbol structure and better mathematical return. Drawback: Max win capped at 5,000x, which is less than a sixth of Merlin’s Grimoire’s 31,104x ceiling, so the peak upside is dramatically lower.

The Green Knight

Similarity: Arthurian setting with very high volatility and a bonus round where a single mechanic can reshape an entire spin, mirroring the way splitting symbols transform Merlin’s Grimoire’s grid. Standout feature: Wild multipliers that accumulate up to 100x mean a single well-placed wild can generate a max win from one spin, creating the same concentrated-value moments. Best for: Players who respond to Merlin’s Grimoire’s very high volatility and want the same Arthurian atmosphere with multiplier-driven payouts instead of ways expansion. Drawback: No variable ways mechanic at all, so the grid stays fixed at 5×3 with 20 paylines and the reel-expanding excitement is absent.

Legacy of Gems Blitzways

Similarity: Dynamic ways that shift during play, matching the core concept of Merlin’s Grimoire where the grid dimensions change mid-feature, though Blitzways uses reel height variation across 7 reels instead of splitting symbols. Standout feature: Sticky wild multipliers in the bonus round add accumulating value on top of the ways expansion, layering two escalation mechanics on a single feature. Best for: Players who are drawn to the ways-expanding concept but want it paired with a multiplier system that builds across consecutive cascades. Drawback: Max win sits at 20,000x, over 11,000x below Merlin’s Grimoire, and volatility drops to high rather than very high, so the extreme peaks are less dramatic.

Merlin: Realm of Charm

Similarity: Direct Merlin sequel that builds on the Rise of Merlin formula with sticky expanding symbols that hold position for the entire free spins round, creating a similar accumulation feel to Grimoire’s splitting symbol buildup. Standout feature: The reroll pick mechanic lets the game re-select which symbol expands if the first choice is unfavourable, reducing the all-or-nothing randomness that defines standard book slots. Best for: Players who want to stay within the Merlin storyline and appreciate a bonus round that builds value progressively rather than depending on a single random selection. Drawback: Max win capped at 10,000x on a fixed 5×3, 10-payline grid, with no variable-ways mechanic, so the grid-expanding moments that define Merlin’s Grimoire are missing entirely.

The Sword and the Grail

Similarity: Arthurian quest theme with high volatility, expanding wilds during free spins, and a bonus structure where the feature round carries all the meaningful value. The session rhythm carries over because both slots front-load quiet base games before delivering concentrated payouts in the bonus. Standout feature: The Holy Grail quest bonus adds a narrative layer to the free spins that most slots skip, giving the feature round a sense of progression beyond pure mechanics. Best for: Players who want the medieval magic atmosphere with a storytelling element layered into the bonus structure. Drawback: Expanding wilds are simpler than splitting symbols, and the 10,000x ceiling is less than a third of Grimoire’s potential, limiting the top-end of what the bonus can deliver.

At £10 / $10 / €10 stake, a 31,104x max win would return £311,040 / $311,040 / €311,040.

Pick your match based on what you want to change

If the Merlin theme is what you want to keep and the volatile ways-expansion mechanic is secondary, Rise of Merlin delivers the same character on a simpler book-mechanic framework with a better RTP. Strip the theme away and focus purely on the variable-ways experience, and Legacy of Gems Blitzways is the closest mechanical match: its dynamic reel heights shift the ways count during play just as splitting symbols do in Merlin’s Grimoire. For players who value the very high volatility and Arthurian setting but want multiplier-driven wins instead of expanding ways, The Green Knight lands wild multipliers up to 100x on a 5×3 grid that can produce max-win moments from a single spin. Merlin: Realm of Charm sits between these options as a lesser-known choice that keeps the Merlin identity while adding a reroll pick mechanic that softens the randomness of expanding symbol selection.

Quick answers

What slot is most similar to Merlin’s Grimoire?
Rise of Merlin shares the same character, provider, and Arthurian magic setting, though it uses a traditional book mechanic with a single expanding symbol rather than splitting symbols. For a pure mechanical match on the variable-ways concept, Legacy of Gems Blitzways is closer because its dynamic reel heights shift the ways count during play in a similar fashion. The choice depends on whether theme continuity or mechanic continuity matters more to you.

Are there slots with higher RTP than Merlin’s Grimoire?
Within the Merlin and Arthurian theme group, Rise of Merlin reaches 96.58% at its highest tier, which is 0.38% above Merlin’s Grimoire. Across the wider Play’n GO catalogue, GEMiX hits 96.75% and Mystery Joker reaches 96.98%. The actual RTP at any given casino depends on the operator’s chosen setting from five available tiers ranging from 96.20% down to 84.20%.

What Play’n GO slots are like Merlin’s Grimoire?
The direct Merlin family includes Rise of Merlin and Merlin: Realm of Charm, both using expanding symbol mechanics in an Arthurian magic setting. The broader medieval group adds The Green Knight with its 100x wild multipliers, The Sword and the Grail with expanding wilds and a quest bonus, and The Green Knight: Oath of Thorns with a 40,000x ceiling. For the variable-ways mechanic specifically, Legacy of Gems Blitzways and Fate of Dead Blitzways use dynamic reel heights.

Can I play slots like Merlin’s Grimoire for free?
Free demo access depends on the casino and your location. Most operators carrying Play’n GO titles offer demo versions, though some markets require age verification or account registration before free play unlocks. Merlin’s Grimoire launched in 2023 and is widely available, but checking the casino lobby directly is the fastest way to confirm demo access at any specific site.

How do splitting symbols work in Merlin’s Grimoire?
Splitting symbols are specific symbol types that can divide into two during a spin, effectively adding an extra row to that reel position. When this happens on multiple reels simultaneously, the ways count expands dramatically from the base 243 toward the 7,776 maximum. The mechanic fires primarily during bonus rounds and is what creates the dramatic shift between the compact base game grid and the expanded feature grid.

Closest mechanical match: Legacy of Gems Blitzways. Its dynamic reel heights deliver the same expanding-ways concept through a different implementation, and the 20,000x ceiling keeps payout potential in a comparable range. Best overall alternative: The Green Knight. It matches the Arthurian atmosphere and very high volatility while replacing ways expansion with wild multipliers up to 100x, giving a different path to concentrated-value bonus rounds. For a starting path, try Rise of Merlin first if the theme matters most, move to The Green Knight for comparable volatility with multiplier-driven peaks, and keep Merlin: Realm of Charm as the sleeper pick. Its sticky expanding symbols and reroll mechanic make it the least well-known option here but the most forgiving Merlin sequel for players who find Grimoire’s very high volatility too punishing between features.