Book of Kings: Playtech's High-Variance Egyptian Slot
Book of Kings is a 2020 Playtech slot built on the "Book of" formula. It runs on a 5×3 grid with 10 fixed paylines, a 96.5% RTP, and high volatility. The base game funds the wait; the expanding symbol free spins deliver the payouts. Try the book of kings demo to feel the pace before playing for real.
Theme & Visuals
The setting is ancient Egypt — scarab beetles, ankh crosses, a hawk, and the pharaoh as the top-paying regular symbol. Stone ruins and golden sand fill the background. Playtech's rendering is crisp and modern, sharper than older titles in the same genre. The interface is clean: paytable, spin, and autoplay controls with nothing to distract from the reels.
How to Play
The game uses a standard 5-reel, 3-row layout with 10 fixed paylines. Wins pay left to right from reel 1. Bets run from $0.10 to $500 per spin. Lower-paying symbols are card royals (10, J, Q, K, A). Higher-paying symbols are the scarab, ankh, hawk, and pharaoh — in that order of value.
Symbols & Features
Book of Kings has two distinct scatter symbols, and the one that triggers the bonus determines the multiplier you play with.
- Book symbol (Wild + Scatter): Substitutes for all regular symbols. Land three or more to trigger 10 free spins with a 1x multiplier.
- Book & Snake symbol (Scatter): Land three or more to trigger 10 free spins where all wins are tripled.
- Expanding Symbol: Before free spins start, one regular symbol is chosen at random. When it appears during the round, it expands to cover the full reel. If the pharaoh is selected and lands across multiple reels during the 3x bonus, the payout can be enormous.
- Retrigger: Land three or more Book symbols during free spins to receive 10 more spins. The same expanding symbol stays active — if the pharaoh is your symbol, a retrigger compounds the potential significantly.
- Bonus Buy: Available in supported markets. Pays for direct access to the free spins feature, skipping the base game entirely.
RTP, Volatility & Max Win
The RTP is 96.5%, fractionally above the 96% industry average — a solid number for a game in this genre. Volatility is high. The base game will feel quiet for long stretches; the expanding symbol during free spins is where nearly all significant wins occur.
That's a meaningful ceiling. If you're used to medium-variance "Book of" titles, Book of Kings will feel more aggressive — plan your bet size and session length around that.
How the Expanding Symbol Feature Works
Landing three or more Book symbols — or three or more Book & Snake symbols — triggers 10 free spins. The two triggers differ only in multiplier: Books give 1x, Book & Snake gives 3x on all free-spin wins.
Before the round begins, one regular symbol is randomly selected as the expanding symbol. Whenever it appears on a reel during the bonus, it stretches to fill all three positions on that reel. Multiple reels can expand simultaneously. Combined with the 3x multiplier, a full-reel pharaoh hit across four or five reels produces the game's biggest outcomes. Retriggering during an active pharaoh run — with the same symbol kept — is when the largest recorded sessions happen.
Book of Kings vs Other Book-of Games
The "Book of" genre is crowded. Book of Kings sits at the high-variance end — closer to Book of Dead territory than the gentler Book of Ra variants. The 96.5% RTP is competitive across the category. The dual-scatter system adds texture that simpler single-scatter titles lack: you're not just waiting for three books, you're hoping for the Book & Snake version that triples everything. Playtech's production quality is noticeably cleaner than older Novomatic titles in the same space.
For players who enjoy the expanding-symbol mechanic but want to explore more of Playtech's Egyptian and book-themed range, the direct sequel Book of Kings 2 builds on this foundation, and Age of the Gods Book of Oracle blends the Book-of mechanic with Playtech's progressive jackpot network.
For players drawn specifically to high payout ceilings, see our Max Win Slots page.
Tips for Playing Book of Kings
1. Use the demo to learn the pace. High volatility means long quiet stretches are normal, not a sign the slot is broken. The demo shows you the real rhythm before you risk money.
2. Know which trigger you're chasing. The Book & Snake free spins (3x multiplier) are significantly more valuable than the standard Book trigger. Both award 10 spins — the multiplier is the difference between a decent bonus and a potential session-defining one.
3. Bet within range. High volatility can drain a balance before the feature hits. A bet size that gives you 100–150 spins of runway before reassessing is a practical starting point.
4. Retrigger with the right symbol active. If the pharaoh is your expanding symbol and you retrigger, that symbol stays for the next 10 spins. Those are the sessions worth staying for.
Pros & Cons
- Pros: 96.5% RTP above the industry average. Dual-scatter system adds bonus-trigger depth. Retriggers keep the expanding symbol active. Bonus buy available. Wide $0.10–$500 bet range. Clean, intuitive rules.
- Cons: High volatility — base game can run very quiet. Egyptian "Book of" theme is one of the most crowded in slots. No complex mechanics beyond the expanding symbol feature. Long gaps between significant wins are common.
Final Verdict
Book of Kings executes a proven formula at a high standard. The 96.5% RTP is competitive, the dual-scatter trigger adds real strategic texture, and the 3x-multiplier free spins push the ceiling to a genuine 15,000x. It won't surprise anyone who knows the genre — but it does the job cleanly, with better production than most. Players who want a disciplined high-variance session with a strong RTP and a meaningful win ceiling will find it delivers exactly that.
More from Playtech
Playtech's catalog spans well beyond ancient Egypt. For a direct next step, Book of Kings 2 is the natural sequel with updated mechanics. If you want Playtech's biggest franchise, Age of the Gods and Age of the Gods Book of Oracle bring a progressive jackpot layer on top of the book-mechanic core. For something with a different pace entirely, Buffalo Blitz is one of Playtech's most popular high-payline titles, and Epic Ape delivers a high-variance jungle alternative if you want the adrenaline without the Egyptian setting. See the full Slot Providers List for more Playtech titles on Slottomat.
