Book of Dead is a 5-reel, 10-payline slot from Play’n GO with a 96.21% RTP, high volatility, and a 5,000x max win. Released in 2016, it sends Rich Wilde into an ancient Egyptian tomb where expanding symbols and a free spins round can turn a modest stake into a serious payout. This review covers the RTP, bonus mechanics, where to try the free play demo, and how it stacks up against similar slots.
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Quick facts
RTP: 96.21%
Volatility: High
Reels and paylines: 5 reels, 10 fixed paylines
Min-max bet: 0.10 to 100.00 per spin
Max win: 5,000x your stake
Provider: Play’n GO
Release year: 2016
Gameplay and features
Rich Wilde and the expanding symbol
The base game is straightforward. You need three or more matching symbols on a payline, starting from the leftmost reel. Rich Wilde himself pays the most, returning 5,000 coins for five of a kind. The Book of Dead acts as both wild and scatter, which is a nice touch because it substitutes for any paying symbol while also triggering the bonus. The Egyptian theme is everywhere: Anubis, Osiris, Horus, and the pharaoh fill the reels, though the card symbols from 10 to Ace do most of the heavy lifting in the base game.
Free spins with a special expanding symbol
Land three or more Book of Dead scatters anywhere on the reels and you get 10 free spins. Before the round starts, the game randomly selects one symbol to become a special expanding symbol. During free spins, when that symbol appears in enough positions to form a win, it expands to cover the entire reel. This is where the slot earns its high volatility reputation. If the chosen symbol is Rich Wilde or one of the premium Egyptian gods, a full screen of five reels can produce a 5,000x payout. The expanding symbol does not need to be on adjacent reels to pay, which is a subtle rule many players miss. Three or more scatters during the bonus retrigger another 10 free spins, and the same special expanding symbol stays active for the entire retriggered round.
Gamble feature
After any base game win, you can press the gamble button. You guess the color or suit of a face-down card. A correct color guess doubles your win, and a correct suit guess quadruples it. You can gamble up to five times in a row, but one wrong guess wipes the entire win from that spin. It is a polarizing feature. Some players use it on small wins to chase a larger payout, but it adds variance on top of an already high-volatility slot. The gamble feature has no effect on the RTP, but it changes how quickly your balance swings.
Betting range and payline behavior
The betting range starts at 0.10 and goes up to 100.00 per spin, which covers casual players and high rollers without being extreme. All 10 paylines are fixed, so you cannot reduce the number of active lines to lower your stake. Wins are calculated from left to right, except for scatter wins, which pay anywhere. The highest-paying symbol in the base game is Rich Wilde at 5,000 coins for five on a payline, followed by the pharaoh and Osiris at 2,000 coins each.
How Book of Dead compares to similar slots
Book of Dead often gets compared to two other Play’n GO slots with similar mechanics: Legacy of Egypt and Rise of Dead. The table below shows the key differences.
Game | RTP | Volatility | Max win | Special feature
Book of Dead | 96.21% | High | 5,000x | One expanding symbol during free spins
Legacy of Egypt | 96.50% | High | 5,000x | Multiplier wheel up to 10x before free spins
Rise of Dead | 96.20% | High | 10,000x | Two random expanding symbols plus a multiplier
Legacy of Egypt has a slightly higher RTP and adds a multiplier wheel before free spins, but the base game can feel slower because the bonus trigger is less frequent. Rise of Dead offers a higher max win and two expanding symbols, but it is harder to trigger the bonus and the hit frequency feels lower in practice. Book of Dead remains the cleanest version of the mechanic: one expanding symbol, no extra wheel, and a bonus round that is easy to understand.
Pros and cons
Pros
– The 96.21% RTP is above average for high-volatility slots.
– The expanding symbol mechanic can create full-screen wins during free spins.
– The Book of Dead acts as both wild and scatter, simplifying the paytable.
– The betting range from 0.10 to 100.00 suits most bankrolls.
– The free spins round retriggers with the same expanding symbol, which can compound payouts.
– The game is available as an instant play app with no download on most licensed platforms.
Cons
– High volatility means long dry spells between meaningful wins.
– The base game can feel repetitive because the card symbols dominate.
– The gamble feature can erase wins quickly if you chase losses.
– There is no multiplier during free spins, unlike Legacy of Egypt.
– The 5,000x max win is lower than newer Book-style slots like Rise of Dead.
– The Egyptian theme is extremely common, so it may feel dated to some players.
Play Book of Dead demo
You can try Book of Dead in demo mode before risking real money. The free play demo uses the same RTP, volatility, and bonus behavior as the real-money version, so it is a useful way to see how often the free spins trigger and how the expanding symbol behaves. [DEMO_EMBED]
If you want to test the game with a specific strategy, such as adjusting your bet size after a bonus round, the demo mode lets you do that without any financial pressure. Just remember that results in demo mode do not predict future real-money outcomes.
FAQ
What is the RTP of Book of Dead?
The RTP of Book of Dead is 96.21%. This is the theoretical return to player over millions of spins, not a guarantee for any single session. The RTP is fixed by the provider and cannot be changed by the player.
Can I play Book of Dead for free?
Yes. Most licensed operators offer a Book of Dead demo mode that requires no deposit and no download. The demo version uses the same rules and RTP as the real-money game, so you can test the free spins feature and expanding symbol without risking your balance.
What is the max win on Book of Dead?
The max win is 5,000x your stake. To hit that, you need the special expanding symbol to fill all five reels during free spins with the highest-paying symbol selected. At the maximum bet of 100.00, that equals a 500,000 payout.
Is Book of Dead a high volatility slot?
Yes. Book of Dead has high volatility, which means wins are less frequent but larger on average when they do occur. You may go 100 or more spins without a bonus trigger, but a single free spins round can return 50x to 200x your stake or more.
Does Book of Dead have a jackpot?
No. Book of Dead does not have a progressive or fixed jackpot. The maximum payout is capped at 5,000x your stake through the expanding symbol mechanic during free spins.
Last updated: February 2026
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Please play responsibly. You must be 18 or older (21 in some jurisdictions) to play real-money slots. Set deposit limits, take breaks, and never chase losses. If you need support, contact your local responsible gambling service.