Pandemic Rising (Pragmatic Play) – Slot Review
Pandemic Rising by Pragmatic Play takes on a dark, apocalyptic theme inspired by viral outbreaks and survival in a collapsing world. The slot’s atmosphere is gritty and intense, with visuals that depict a city consumed by chaos. Characters with different colored backgrounds—cyan, purple, red, yellow, and blue—serve as the main symbols, each designed to look like survivors or infected figures, reinforcing the sense of danger and urgency.
The design is supported by eerie sound effects and dramatic music, creating a feeling of tension with every spin. Special features such as virus symbols, sticky wilds, and multipliers tie directly into the theme, making gameplay feel like a battle against an ever-spreading infection. Pandemic Rising blends survival-horror aesthetics with high-stakes slot mechanics, offering a dark, immersive take on the popular outbreak narrative.
Pandemic Rising is played on a 5×4 reel layout with 40 fixed paylines. This high-volatility slot offers a 96.51% RTP and a maximum win potential of 14,000x your stake, with bets ranging from £0.20 to £240.
Pandemic Rising Symbols & Pay Table
The game features 14 symbols in total. The lower-paying ones are represented by characters with various coloured backgrounds, while the premiums include higher-value characters, the top being the red-background symbol that pays 20x for five of a kind. Alongside these are Wilds, Bonus symbols, and Virus symbols. Wilds appear only on reels 2, 3, and 4 and substitute for all regular symbols except Bonus and Virus icons. They can also carry random multipliers between 1x and 10x, which add together when more than one Wild contributes to the same win. Bonus symbols land on reels 1, 3, and 5, and three of them will trigger the free spins round.
Pandemic Rising Features & Mechanics
The Free Spins feature begins with 8 spins. Any Wilds that land during this round become sticky and remain in place until the end. A global multiplier is also active, starting at 1x. Collecting Virus symbols increases this multiplier along a meter, climbing progressively through levels up to 100x. Every third Virus symbol collected not only increases the multiplier but also awards an additional free spin. As the multiplier grows, high-value symbols also change in appearance to reflect the rising danger.
Players can enhance the gameplay further with the Ante Bet feature, which modifies the base game. At the standard 20x bet, the game runs normally. Activating Ante Bet 1 at 80x makes triggering free spins up to ten times more likely, while Ante Bet 2 at 200x guarantees at least one Wild with a random multiplier on every spin.
For those who prefer to skip straight to the action, the Buy Feature allows instant access to free spins. For 100x your total bet, the standard free spins feature is triggered, while 500x unlocks Super Free Spins, beginning with two guaranteed Wilds locked in random positions, each carrying a random multiplier.
Conclusion
Pandemic Rising delivers a gripping experience for players who enjoy dark, apocalyptic themes paired with high volatility gameplay. The mix of sticky wilds, escalating multipliers, and virus collection mechanics creates plenty of suspense and the potential for big wins, especially in the free spins feature where the tension builds with every collected virus. While the theme may not appeal to everyone due to its intense and grim style, the slot’s features and max win potential of 14,000x make it a strong choice for thrill-seekers looking for both atmosphere and reward. Be sure to try out this game on launch and check out our exclusive casino offers.
