Ghost Pirates: Design and Theme
🖼️ Graphics
Ghost Pirates greets you with a dark pirate ship submerged in half-shadow. The symbols are the animated members of the ghost crew: Polly, Mad Monkey, Peggy Rotten and the one-eyed pirate. The grid is filled out with compasses, pistols, anchors and cannons. The atmosphere is more eerie than adventurous: this isn’t a cheerful cartoon slot, but rather a “ghostly voyage” into the depths. Each character has a distinctive look, but the background with drifting sea shadows remains static.
🎶 Sound
There is no background music in the base game — only spin and win effects, which sound neutral, without any personality — “neither fish nor fowl”. A melody appears only when the bonus is activated, but it is so quiet and understated that it gets lost beneath the same effects. As a result, the audio works more as a passive backdrop than a full atmospheric component.
Ghost Pirates Mechanics
|
🥁 Grid Size |
5x3 |
|
📊 Ways to win |
3 / 9 / 27 / 81 / 243 |
|
➕ Bonus Game |
✅ |
|
🤑 Jackpot |
❌ |
|
💸 Extra Bet / Ante Bet |
❌ |
|
🪂 Fixed Multipliers |
✅ |
|
♻️ Respins |
✅ |
|
❎ Gamble |
❌ |
Winning Combinations
Before playing Ghost Pirates, it’s important to understand how payouts are calculated. In Ghost Pirates, the bet is determined by two parameters — Bet Level (number of coins wagered) and Coin Value, plus the chosen Bet Ways mode (3–243 ways). The payout tables below show wins in coins at Bet Level 1; if your Bet Level is higher, multiply the listed values by the chosen level. To convert a win into currency: win in coins × Coin Value. Important: the more ways you choose, the higher the bet cost, but the more often combinations form.
Top Symbols:
|
Symbol |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Peggy Rotten |
100 |
500 |
1500 |
|
One-Eyed Pirate |
50 |
400 |
1000 |
|
Mad Monkey |
30 |
200 |
500 |
|
Parrot Polly |
20 |
100 |
400 |
Base Symbols:
In Ghost Pirates, you can adjust the number of ways (Bet Ways), so base symbol payouts change: at 243 ways, the payouts are slightly higher than in 3/9/27/81 modes.
Payouts for 243 ways:
|
Symbol |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pistols |
— |
12 |
80 |
200 |
|
Skull Coin |
— |
12 |
40 |
150 |
|
Compass Map |
— |
6 |
25 |
100 |
|
Jug |
— |
6 |
25 |
100 |
|
Cannon / Anchor |
3 |
6 |
25 |
80 |
Payouts for 3/9/27/81 ways:
|
Symbol |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pistols |
— |
10 |
80 |
200 |
|
Skull Coin |
— |
10 |
40 |
150 |
|
Compass Map |
— |
4 |
15 |
100 |
|
Jug |
— |
4 |
15 |
100 |
|
Cannon / Anchor |
2 |
4 |
15 |
80 |
Special Symbols
- Wild (pirate skull): substitutes all regular symbols and appears only on reels 2 and 4 in both the base game and the free spins. It has no payouts of its own.
- Scatter (treasure chest): triggers the free spins when at least 3 appear consecutively starting from reel 1. In 3/9/27/81 ways, 3/4/5 scatters award 10/15/20 free spins. In 243 ways, 3/4/5 scatters award 15/20/25 free spins. Scatter wins do not pay — they only activate the bonus.
Bonus Game
Free spins in Ghost Pirates are triggered by scatters that must appear consecutively, starting from the first reel. All wins in the bonus are multiplied by x3, and the game is played at the same bet level and coin value as the spin that triggered the feature.
During the bonus, you can land 3 or more scatters again to receive extra free spins.
The number of retriggers depends on the Bet Ways mode:
- 3/9/27/81 ways: +10, +15 or +20 spins for 3, 4 or 5 scatters.
- 243 ways: +15, +20 or +25 spins for 3, 4 or 5 scatters.
All new spins are added to the remaining total, and the overall win from the free-spin session is added to the result of the triggering spin.
RTP, Volatility, Max Win
Ghost Pirates has two theoretical RTP values depending on the chosen Bet Ways mode: from 95.28% to 96.88%. The more ways you activate, the higher the RTP. Volatility is medium–high: base spins often feel empty, but in the free spins with the x3 multiplier, the slot can deliver meaningful hits. The maximum win is modest — only x732 of the stake. When this limit is reached, the bonus round ends immediately and the full win is paid out.
Our Verdict
Ghost Pirates is a slot for players willing to overlook the simple audio in favour of NetEnt’s distinctive Bet Ways mechanic. At first, combinations seem rare, but in the free spins, the x3 multiplier makes a real difference — that’s where the slot can revive the balance. The bonus doesn’t land often, but it’s not extremely rare either.
It suits players who enjoy pirate themes in NetEnt’s old-school style and those who like adjusting risk through the number of active ways. If picture quality and sound are important to you, this slot may feel bland and become repetitive quickly. The max win is also small compared to modern standards, especially given the medium-high volatility.
Alternatives: try Pirate Chest: Hold and Win if you want to stay in a pirate setting with more modern mechanics, or go “fishing” in the Big Bass series by Pragmatic Play. Big Bass Splash is particularly worth noting — it includes a bonus “re-spin” feature that makes the gameplay noticeably livelier.
Other popular slots by NetEnt
Starburst | Jack Hammer | Dead or Alive 2 | Fruit Shop | Long Pao | Excalibur | Cash Noire | Lights Slot | Ghost Pirates | Jack and the Beanstalk | Wild Wild West | Jack Hammer 2 | Joker Pro | Fruit Case | Steam Tower
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