Pragmatic Play’s big five roar: The Ultimate 5 Description

Step onto a sun-baked savannah where the grass shimmers in the heat and the silhouettes of mighty beasts prowl across the reels. The Ultimate 5 brings the legendary big five together in a classic African safari setup, then spices the experience with a hold-and-win twist that can snowball like a brushfire. Pragmatic Play keeps the focus on familiar thrills, but adds a smart twist with adjacent linking money symbols that upgrade each other in a special respins round. At its core, this is a 5-reel, 3-row, 20-payline video slot that blends approachable base game rhythms with punchy bonus bursts. You can tailor your session with bets from €0.20 to €100, while the math model leans towards suspense with high volatility. The theoretical return comes in multiple configurations, with a default RTP of 96.50% and alternatives at 95.50% or 94.50%, depending on version. As for headline potential, the game tops out at a maximum win of 5,000x. Wilds, scatters, and special money symbols all contribute to the pace. The free spins can randomly remove low-value royals to clear the grid for the heavy hitters, and there’s a distinctive mechanic where landing all five animal icons in any order on a payline awards a special 100x payout. The star attraction, though, is the Hold & Spin Super Boost: a respin feature that locks, links, and upgrades symbol values step by step, with a jackpot ladder that can climb to the 500x Mega Jackpot per symbol when conditions align. Released on 07/02/2022, The Ultimate 5 offers a warm, golden-hued adventure where the spectacle comes from how features layer on top of classic slot foundations. It’s a familiar landscape, but with just enough clever engineering under the hood to keep each spin feeling purposeful and taut.

Graphics and Symbols across the savannah’s sunset palette

Design and Atmosphere

The scene unfolds under a burnished sky, with dry grass undulating across the plains and a solitary, dramatic tree standing guard beside the reels. The palette leans into golds, ambers, and deep oranges, framing the grandeur of the animals within a cinematic sunset. The aesthetic draws on classic safari imagery: regal, serene, and slightly dangerous, like a calm dusk that could crackle into action at any moment. The big five—buffalo, rhino, elephant, leopard, lion—take center stage as premium icons, rendered with proud stances that make wins feel momentous when they line up.

Symbols

• Main symbols
  • Buffalo — premium symbol representing raw power; part of the animal set that pays 4x to 20x for five of a kind.
  • Black Rhino — sturdy and stoic; contributes to the premium tier payouts.
  • African Bush Elephant — massive presence on the reels and a key premium icon.
  • Leopard — agile and sleek, joins the top-paying group.
  • Lion — the apex premium; the Wild pays the same as the lion for regular line wins.
  • All-animal combo — land one of each animal in any order on the same payline for a special 100x payout.
• Secondary symbols
  • 10, J, Q, K, A — low-paying royals that return 1x to 2x for five of a kind and can be removed during free spins.
• Special symbols
  • Wild (Baobab tree) — substitutes for regular pay symbols to complete wins; cannot complete the 100x all-animal line, and does not replace Scatters or Money symbols. Pays like the top-tier lion.
  • Scatter (Giant Diamond) — landing 3/4/5 awards an upfront payout of 5x/25x/50x plus 8/10/12 free spins.
  • Money Symbols (Burning Orbs) — appear on reels 2, 3, 4 in the base game; carry values and jackpots in the Hold & Spin Super Boost round.

Features and Bonuses that spark like tinder in the wind

Hold & Spin Super Boost with linked upgrades and jackpot ladder

This signature mechanic ignites when Money Symbols land simultaneously on reels 2, 3, and 4. They lock to the center of a cleared 5x3 grid and you receive 3 respins. Only blanks or money symbols appear, and every time at least one money symbol lands, the counter resets to 3. The twist is in how symbols connect. Adjacent money symbols link into a group, and each new linked addition upgrades the entire group’s values to the next rung on the ladder. Base values include 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 10x, followed by jackpots: Mini 25x, Minor 50x, Major 75x, Maxi 100x, and Mega 500x. It’s a satisfying, incremental progression—think of it as coaxing embers into flame, each symbol you link stoking the entire cluster hotter. Only linked groups pay when the feature ends; isolated money symbols that fail to connect do not count. The ultimate objective is to fill every position with linked money symbols; do so, and all present values upgrade straight to the Mega 500x level. Note that the overall outcome is limited by the game’s 5,000x max win cap. Also, in the base game, money symbols do not appear on reels 1 and 5, keeping the action focused on the central trio.

Free Spins with random royal removals and extra spins

Land 3, 4, or 5 Scatters to pocket an immediate 5x, 25x, or 50x payout and trigger 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively. During free spins, the reel set can randomly “level up,” removing one low-paying royal at a time in this order: 10 → J → Q → K → A. Each removal upgrade guarantees a Wild on that spin, a nice touch that keeps the momentum going as the grid gets cleaner. Scatters can also appear as overlay diamonds on top of paying symbols during the feature. Hit 2/3/4/5 overlays at once to gain +2/+4/+6/+8 extra spins, extending the round and letting the royal removal do its work across more spins. As the low pays vanish, the premium animals step into the spotlight, leaving room for those satisfying top-end combinations.

All-animal line and Wild nuances

The big five share a unique synergy: if all five different animal symbols land in any order on a single payline, the game awards a special 100x payout. The Wild behaves like a premium in its own right—matching the lion’s pay for line wins—while substituting for regular symbols to complete combinations. It cannot replace the Scatter or Money Symbols and does not help form the 100x all-animal line.

Statistics and Math

RTP

The Ultimate 5 comes with multiple configurations: a 96.50% RTP as the default, alongside versions at 95.50% and 94.50%. The presence of several RTP setups is worth noting when you want a clearer picture of long-term expectations.

Volatility

The slot is built on high volatility, meaning the action leans toward more dramatic swings. It suits players who enjoy features that can escalate when they land, with stretches of set-up punctuated by impactful bonus sequences.

Paylines and Win Mechanics

You spin on a 5x3 layout with 20 paylines. Wins form by landing 3 or more matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel. The special case to remember is the 100x all-animal line, which pays when one of each animal lands on the same line in any order.

Bet Limits and Accessibility

Stakes range from €0.20 to €100 per spin, making the game approachable if you like to keep things measured, while still offering headroom if you prefer to scale up.

Conclusion

The Ultimate 5 pairs a familiar safari canvas with features that click together neatly. The Hold & Spin Super Boost is the standout—linking adjacent money symbols to upgrade values feels dynamic and intuitive, and the jackpot ladder offers a clear sense of progression toward the coveted Mega 500x symbols. The Free Spins round brings extra texture through random royal removal and the guaranteed wild on each level-up, while the 100x all-animal line is a charming twist that adds anticipation to premium spins. On the flip side, the theme doesn’t break new ground, and the 5,000x max win cap means that even full-grid Mega scenarios are ultimately constrained. The presence of multiple RTP configurations (96.50%, 95.50%, 94.50%) is also something to keep in mind. Recommended if you enjoy: - Hold-and-win style respins with value upgrades. - Feature sets that trim low pays to spotlight premiums. - Classic 5x3 setups with clear, punchy mechanics. Similar adventures worth a spin: - Great Rhino (Pragmatic Play): 5x3 with 20 paylines and a Super Respins, hold-and-win-style feature; jackpots up to 500x keep the tension high, while its bonus round offers a different rhythm compared to The Ultimate 5. - Animals of Africa (Gold Coin Studios): 5x3, 20 paylines with an emphasis on high-value wilds and expanding wild respins in the bonus; a notably higher top end at 8,000x sets it apart. - Serengeti Gold (Just For The Win): 5x3 with 25 paylines and HyperHold respins featuring jackpots up to 2,500x; up to x5 multipliers in free spins give it a distinct bonus flavor. If the African big five are your calling, The Ultimate 5 delivers a warm, confident take on the genre—classic bones, well-executed features, and a hold-and-win core that can roar when the linking starts to snowball.