Last updated: 13-07-2026
Starburst is the most widely distributed NetEnt pokie ever made — released back in 2012 and still sitting in global top-10 played lists. It's also the pokie most likely to disappoint AU players expecting Gates of Olympus-style ceilings. No free spins round, no scatter, a 500x max win. I tested it at Johnny Kash to explain what it actually offers instead.
How does the Win Both Ways mechanic work?
Starburst runs on 10 fixed paylines, but pays them left-to-right and right-to-left simultaneously — Win Both Ways effectively doubles your win opportunities on the same line structure without adding extra paylines. There's no scatter symbol and no traditional free spins round. Instead, the Starburst Wild — which can land expanded across all three rows on reels 2, 3 or 4 — triggers a respin, and up to 3 consecutive respins can chain if additional wilds keep landing.
Hit frequency sits around 22.6%, and volatility is rated Low — small, frequent wins rather than rare big ones. That makes Starburst the opposite design philosophy to something like Sweet Bonanza: it's built to stretch a session, not to chase a ceiling. NetEnt allows a wide RTP adjustment range on this title — six possible settings from 96.09% down to 90.05% — so it's worth checking the in-game info panel before assuming you're on the top tier.
| Version | RTP | Volatility | Max win | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starburst (classic) | 96.09% top tier | Low | 800x | This page — 6 possible RTP settings, check in-game |
| Starburst XXXtreme | 96.45% | High | 16,800x | Random Wilds; can buy guaranteed wilds at 10x or 95x stake |
| Starburst Galaxy | 96% | Medium-High | 17,288x | 5x5 grid expanding to 7x7, Avalanche mechanic |
Charted together, the gap between the classic and its two upgrades is a lot bigger than the table alone conveys.
Author's tip from Chloe Summers, Lottery & Bingo Specialist: "If you're after Starburst's steady, low-variance pacing, stick with the classic. If the theme's what you like but you want a real shot at a big multiplier, XXXtreme or Galaxy are built for that — the classic simply isn't."
Is classic Starburst worth playing over the upgrades?
It depends on what you're after. Classic Starburst is genuinely built for stretching a session — Low volatility and a 22.6% hit frequency mean an A$20 budget at A$0.10 minimum bet can realistically deliver 200 spins with around 45 expected wins, most of them small, at an expected loss of roughly A$2 at the top RTP tier. That's a fundamentally different experience to a V.High volatility title like Gates of Olympus.
If you want the Starburst aesthetic with actual big-win potential, XXXtreme and Galaxy exist specifically to fill that gap — both push past 16,000x, with XXXtreme even letting you buy guaranteed wilds at 10x or 95x stake for a more controlled shot at the feature.
18+ only. Low volatility doesn't mean no risk — you can still lose a session budget over enough spins, just more gradually than on a high-ceiling title.
Want more variance from the same publisher? Sweet Bonanza and Sugar Rush sit at the opposite end of the volatility scale. New to terms like "hit frequency" or "Win Both Ways"? Check the glossary. Ready to spin? Log in, or start from the homepage.
