Starburst Review

Starburst NetEnt Slot Game Overview

The Starburst game is a video slot developed by NetEnt, which today operates as a brand of Evolution. The game is listed on both NetEnt’s own site and Evolution’s games site, and both give 2012 as the release year. It is one of the studio’s longest-running titles: Evolution’s NetEnt brand page names it among the catalogue’s long-standing favourites.

Part of the reason it is still played so widely is how little there is to learn. You pick a stake and spin. Wins come from three or more matching symbols on a line, and the only special event is the wild. Evolution’s brand page credits NetEnt with introducing two-way paylines, re-spins and expanding wilds as some of the first modern slot mechanics, and this game combines all three.

A NetEnt anniversary release from August 2022, as reported by trade press, said the game had recorded about 18 billion spins over the preceding two to two and a half years. That figure covers that period only, not the game’s whole lifetime.

Starburst Slot Reels Gameplay: Paylines and How Wins Form

The game uses a standard 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines. You cannot switch lines off, so whatever stake you choose always covers all ten. NetEnt’s data panel describes the game as having up to 10 lines, and Evolution’s page confirms that they pay both ways.

Win Both Ways is the key rule. A typical slot pays only combinations that start on reel 1 and run left to right. Here a line also pays when the matching symbols start on reel 5 and run right to left. That gives each line two routes to a win, which helps the game land a win on roughly one spin in four.

A worked example: three yellow gems on reels 3, 4 and 5 along an active line would not pay in a left-to-right-only slot, but they pay here because the run starts on the rightmost reel.

NetEnt lists the hit frequency at 23%. Over a very long run, that means about one spin in four to five returns some win. Many of those wins are smaller than the stake, though, so a hit is not the same as a profit. Review databases quote 22.6% for the top RTP version, and AskGamblers reports 21.2% to 22.8% across versions. It also puts the wild feature at about once in every 12 spins (8.4%), so wild reels are the exception, not the rule.

Starburst Slot Symbols and Paytable Explained

There are eight Starburst symbols in total. Evolution describes five low-paying gems (purple, blue, red, green and yellow), two high-paying symbols (a red lucky seven and a gold BAR) and the wild, a rainbow jewel-studded star. There is no scatter symbol.

The Starburst paytable values in the Symbols & Paytable table on this page come from review sites, not from NetEnt. OLBG, SlotCatalog and AskGamblers publish identical multiples of your total bet for one line win of 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols, and CasinoBeats lists the same values as coins at bet level one (they match once divided by the 10 lines).

That shows consistency, not independent confirmation, and we could not open NetEnt’s official in-game paytable. Always check the in-game paytable, which shows the amounts at your current stake.

The logic is simple. The BAR is the top symbol, paying 25x the total bet for five on a line, followed by the lucky seven at 12x. The five gems sit in a tight band, between 2.5x and 6x for five of a kind. Purple and blue pay the same, and some sites call the red gem orange.

The wild has no payout of its own in those sources. Its value comes from substituting for the other symbols and from the re-spins it triggers.

Starburst Slot Gameplay: Expanding Wilds and Re-spins

Everything special in this game happens through one symbol. Below is the exact sequence, as described on NetEnt’s and Evolution’s pages and, for the finer details, by review databases.

Starburst Slot Wild Expansion Explained

The wild appears only on the three middle reels, 2, 3 and 4, according to OLBG and SlotCatalog. When one lands, it expands to cover all three positions on its reel. The expanded wild substitutes for every paying symbol, so it can complete combinations on several lines at once, in both directions.

Because it cannot land on reel 1 or reel 5, the wild works as a bridge. It connects a symbol on an outer reel with matching symbols further in, turning two of a kind into a paying line of three, four or five.

Wild Re-spins: Up to Three in a Row

An expanding wild triggers a re-spin. The wild reel stays locked in place while the other reels spin again. If another wild lands on a free middle reel during that re-spin, it also expands and locks, and you get a further re-spin. The sequence ends when a re-spin brings no new wild, or after the re-spin awarded by the third wild reel, since only three reels can hold one.

The limit of three re-spins in a row and the locking behaviour are reported by OLBG and SlotCatalog, and match 2012 trade-press coverage quoting NetEnt. Evolution’s page calls them free re-spins: they cost nothing extra, but they are not a free spins round. The best outcome is all three middle reels wild, which lets every line pay from both outer reels.

Does Starburst Have Free Spins?

No. There are no Starburst free spins inside the game: no free spins feature, no scatter to trigger one and no bonus round. The wild re-spins are the only extra feature. This is the most common point of confusion, because the game is so widely used in casino promotions.

When you see “free spins on Starburst” or a “free spins bonus on Starburst”, that is a casino offer, not part of the slot. The casino pays for those spins, usually at a fixed stake, and winnings often carry wagering requirements and expiry dates. Read the full terms before you accept one. Our Bonuses & Free Spins section explains how these offers work in general.

Game Functions and Settings

The control panel is minimal, because there are no lines to choose and no feature to buy.

AskGamblers reports that bets are built from a coin value of 0.01 to 1.00 and a bet level of 1 to 10 across the 10 lines, which fits the €0.10 to €100 range (10 x 0.01 x 1 and 10 x 1.00 x 10). The information screens hold the paytable and game rules. We could not open NetEnt’s official help screen for this review, so the exact menus, sound controls and spin options may differ slightly between casino builds.

Autoplay and quick-spin options are not described on NetEnt’s or Evolution’s pages, and Evolution notes that individual game features are available subject to jurisdiction.

In Great Britain the rules are clear: since 31 October 2021 the UK Gambling Commission has banned autoplay and features that speed up play on online slots, and requires at least 2.5 seconds per spin. Elsewhere, AskGamblers reports autoplay of 10 to 1,000 spins with optional stops on any win, a chosen win amount or a set balance change, depending on the market and the casino.

Starburst Slot RTP and Volatility

The default Starburst slot RTP is 96.09%, as listed on Evolution’s official game page. NetEnt’s own data panel shows 96.08%, a 0.01-point difference we report as found. Either way, RTP (return to player) is a theoretical average over millions of spins, not a prediction for a session.

Starburst slot volatility is low to medium, at the low end of that band. Evolution’s data field says Low/Mid, while its description and most review sites call the game low volatility. That fits the paytable: frequent small wins and a modest top prize, with shorter swings than high-volatility games typically produce. Frequent small wins do not protect your balance, though; the house edge applies to every spin.

RTP Versions at Different Casinos

Studios often supply casinos with more than one RTP setting, and review databases report this for this game. OLBG lists 96.09% as the highest version, with lower versions of 95.05%, 94.05%, 93.05%, 92.05% and 90.05%. NetEnt publishes no list on the pages we read, so treat these as reported rather than confirmed.

The casino chooses the setting, not you, and it can differ between sites that look identical. Before you play, open the game’s info or paytable screen and look for the stated RTP. If it is below 96.09%, you are playing a lower version.

Starburst Slot Max Win and Max Bet

This is where published figures disagree. NetEnt’s game panel lists a maximum payout of 800x the stake. Many review sites, including OLBG and SlotCatalog, quote 500x the total bet instead. The 500x figure lines up with the paytable those sites publish: the BAR pays 25x for five on a line, and AskGamblers and Big Win Board both count a full line in both directions, so ten lines would give 500x.

NetEnt’s panel does not explain how 800x is reached, so we show the official figure and flag the difference.

Based on the paytable, the largest wins come from the BAR or the lucky seven completing many lines at once, usually helped by expanded wild reels. NetEnt does not publish the odds of reaching the maximum on its game page.

The Starburst max bet in NetEnt’s range is €100 per spin, so 800x would be €80,000; trade press reported a top prize of up to €50,000 at launch, which matches 500x. Some sites call that figure a jackpot, but it is the top line prize from the fixed paytable, not a progressive.

Starburst Slot Theme and Background

The theme is outer space with a gem-and-arcade twist. Evolution describes a backdrop of gems, galaxies and black holes, and the reels hold glowing jewels, a red seven and a gold BAR. The seven and the BAR are classic fruit-machine symbols, which gives the Starburst slot machine its arcade character; trade press called it an arcade-style slot at launch.

In the sources we checked, the Starburst slot background carries no story, character or real-world history. The title fits the wild, a rainbow, jewel-studded star that bursts across its reel when it expands. OLBG describes the sound as arcade-style.

Starburst Slot Mobile Play and the Starburst Touch Slot

The game runs in mobile browsers and casino apps on Android and iOS, according to SlotCatalog. You do not need a separate download for the game itself; it loads inside the casino’s site or app.

Mobile history explains the Touch name you may still see. Trade press reported in December 2012 that NetEnt had launched Starburst Touch, a version of the desktop game for smartphones and tablets in its Touch range. NetEnt later moved its games to HTML5, and today’s version runs on desktop and mobile alike. Our Mobile Casinos guide covers what to check in a casino app.

Starburst Demo and Free Play: What to Know

Many players want to play Starburst free before risking money. The studio offers demo play only in some markets: Evolution’s game page says freeplay demo mode is available subject to jurisdiction and asks visitors to confirm they are 18+. FAQsino does not host a Starburst demo at present, so this page has no demo button, only Real Play.

Where Starburst free play is offered, demo mode uses virtual credits that have no cash value and cannot be withdrawn. Demo results are random, just like real-money spins, so they show how the game feels, not what will happen next. UK-licensed casinos must verify your age before you can use free play on their sites.

You can still learn the game without Starburst slot free play. The sections above explain every symbol value, how wins form in both directions and how the wild re-spins work, which covers most of what a Starburst slot demo would teach you. If you then play for money, start at a low stake while you get used to it.

Playing for Real Money

The Starburst casino slot is offered by many licensed casinos, but conditions vary from site to site. Before you deposit, check four things:

• Licence: the casino should be licensed where you live, for example by the UKGC in Great Britain.
• RTP version: open the game info and confirm the RTP shown; 96.09% is the default version listed by Evolution.
• Payout terms: withdrawal times, limits and verification rules.
• Safer-gambling tools: deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion should be easy to find.

The Real Play button on this page lists casinos that offer this game or other NetEnt titles, filtered for the country you are visiting from. It is a starting point, not a ranking, so you still need to check the points above. Our casino reviews cover licensing and payouts in detail.

Is There a Starburst Slot Strategy?

Searches for how to win on Starburst slot often lead to betting systems. No system changes the outcome. Every spin is decided by a random number generator (RNG), and no pattern of stakes, timing or spin count changes the RTP or the odds of any result. Progressive staking systems only increase how much you put at risk.

What you can control is how you play:

• Set a budget you can afford to lose, and a time limit, before you start.
• Choose a stake that fits that budget; low volatility does not stop a high stake from draining it quickly.
• Check the RTP version and prefer a casino offering 96.09% where you can.
• Do not chase losses, and treat any win as a bonus rather than a target.

If gambling stops being fun, our Responsible Gambling page lists tools and free support services.

Starburst XXXtreme, Galaxy and Other Spin-offs

NetEnt has since released other Starburst slots, and Gaming Realms makes a licensed Slingo version.

• Starburst XXXtreme (NetEnt, July 2021): a high-volatility follow-up with random wilds that carry multipliers. Searches for “Starburst extreme” usually mean this game. Evolution lists a 96.26% RTP, or 96.45% with the paid XXXtreme Spins option, and NetEnt’s panel a 16,800x maximum payout.
• Starburst Galaxy (NetEnt, November 2024): a different game on a 5×5 grid that grows to 7×7, with wins from lines of three or more matching symbols and avalanches; NetEnt’s panel lists a 96.00% RTP and a 17,288x maximum payout. Searches for a Starburst Galaxy free slot refer to that game, not the original.
• Slingo Starburst: a Slingo-format game made by Gaming Realms under licence from NetEnt, not a NetEnt release.

How It Compares: Slots Like Starburst

If you like this game for its simplicity, the closest matches are other low-volatility, line-based slots with a single feature. If you want bigger swings, the two slots below show how different popular modern games can be.

Starburst Review: Our Verdict

The game does one thing and does it cleanly: two-way lines, a wild that expands and re-spins, and a steady rhythm of small wins. The 96.09% default RTP is competitive, and the low-to-medium volatility makes it one of the gentler slots in terms of swings. The trade-off is a modest ceiling and very little depth. There is no free spins round, no bonus game and no jackpot, and long sessions can feel repetitive when the wilds do not land.

It suits beginners, players who prefer short, low-stakes sessions and anyone who wants to understand how a slot works before trying more complex games. It is a weaker fit if you are chasing big multipliers. Read the paytable first, check the RTP version at your casino and set your limits before you play.

What We Could Not Verify

• Max win: NetEnt’s panel lists 800x; review sites quote 500x, which matches their paytable. We could not confirm how 800x is reached.
• Paytable: the values come from four review sites that agree (three as multiples, one as coins); NetEnt’s in-game paytable was not accessible to us.
• RTP versions: the lower versions are reported by review sites; NetEnt publishes no list on the pages we read.
• Release date: sources give January, February, June or July 2012; we use the year only.
• Autoplay and turbo: not described on official pages; only the UK rules are certain.