The Wild Life runs on a 5x3, 10-line both-ways grid, with a top-end RTP of 96.16% (some operators run lower configurations down to 92.16%), high volatility, and a maximum win around 2,500x total stake driven by sticky expanding wilds during free spins. It suits players who like one strong feature rather than several layered mechanics.
- Check the paytable info screen at your chosen casino, since RTP can shift between operators.
- Free spins trigger on 3-5 Africa scatters and award 10, 15 or 20 spins.
The Wild Life Specifications
- ProviderIGT
- Reels5
- Paylines10 fixed paylines, pays both ways
- Volatilityhigh
- RTP96.16%
- Max win2500x
- Bet range1 – 2000
- Released22 March 2017
Get Into The Wild Life In Seven Moves
- 1Pick a licensed Canadian online casino that carries IGT titles.
- 2Search for The Wild Life in the lobby or slot search bar.
- 3Open the free demo first to check the RTP setting displayed in the info screen.
- 4Register or log in and switch from demo to real-money mode.
- 5Set your total bet between the game's minimum and maximum per spin.
- 6Spin the reels and watch reels 2, 3 and 4 for the expanding lion wild.
- 7Land three or more Africa scatters to enter free spins and let sticky wilds lock in place.
Strengths And Weaknesses
| What works | What does not |
|---|---|
| Both-ways 10-line structure doubles combination coverage on every spin | Only 10 fixed paylines feels limited next to modern multi-way or 40-line slots |
| Sticky expanding wilds during free spins raise payout potential once locked on the centre reels | No bonus buy option, so reaching free spins depends entirely on scatter luck |
| Clear, thematically consistent paytable with a straightforward symbol hierarchy | The bonus does not trigger often, leaving long stretches of modest base-game hits |
| Free demo available before committing real money |
Release Timeline
IGT launches The Wild Life on 22 March, introducing its sticky expanding wild free spins feature within a 10-line, both-ways African safari format.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Safari Slots
| 50 Lions | shares the big-cat safari theme but runs on a 5x25 line structure instead of The Wild Life's 10 fixed both-ways lines. |
|---|---|
| Roaring Wilds | leans on a single wild-heavy mechanic without the reel-locking sticky wilds found in The Wild Life's bonus. |
| Safari Spirit | uses cluster-style wins rather than the fixed-line, both-ways format that defines The Wild Life. |
Confirmed Features
- Both-ways 10-line pays that score wins left-to-right and right-to-left on the same lines
- Expanding lion wild confined to reels 2, 3 and 4 in the base game
- Sticky wild lock-in during free spins that keeps expanded reels wild for the rest of the round
- Scatter-triggered free spins awarding 10, 15 or 20 spins depending on scatter count
- Retrigger spins added whenever extra Africa scatters land during the bonus
- Full desktop, mobile and tablet support via HTML5
Terms Used On This Page
Expanding wild
A wild symbol that stretches to cover its entire reel once it lands, in this case only on reels 2 to 4.
Sticky wild
An expanded wild that stays locked in position for the remainder of the free spins round.
Both-ways pay
A payline structure where matching symbols count as a win whether read left-to-right or right-to-left.
Scatter
The Africa map symbol, which pays regardless of position on the reels and triggers free spins.
RTP configuration
A studio-set variant of theoretical return that individual casinos can select when installing the game.
Volatility
A measure of how uneven a slot's payouts are over time, tied to swing size rather than how often it pays.
How The Wild Life Plays Out On Reels 2-4
The Wild Life keeps its base game simple: a 5x3 grid, 10 fixed lines, and no cascades or ways mechanics. What sets it apart from a plain 10-line slot is that every line pays both ways, so a run of matching animals or royals counts whether it reads left to right or right to left. This effectively doubles the coverage of any given line without adding extra paylines to the bet.
The lion wild only appears on the three centre reels, and it never lands as a single symbol. Whenever it shows up on reel 2, 3 or 4, it instantly expands to fill the whole reel, substituting for every regular symbol on any line running through it. Because the wild is restricted to the middle of the grid, outer reels 1 and 5 stay populated with base symbols, which keeps both-ways combinations viable rather than flooding the whole board with wilds.
The free spins round changes the wild's behaviour. Scatters shaped like a map of Africa trigger the bonus at three, four or five symbols anywhere on the reels, awarding 10, 15 or 20 spins respectively. Inside the bonus, any reel that turns fully wild locks in place and stays wild for the rest of the round instead of resetting each spin. Extra scatters landing during the feature add further spins on top of the current count.
This locking mechanic is the engine behind the game's bigger payouts. Once one or two centre reels are permanently wild, remaining spins effectively play with fewer moving parts, and top-tier animal symbols on the outer reels are far more likely to complete high-value lines. It is a single, well-defined feature rather than a set of layered mechanics, which keeps the game easy to follow once a player understands the wild's dual role as both a base-game substitute and a bonus-round lock.
Outside the bonus, the pace is steady rather than eventful. Line wins from card royals and lower animal symbols keep the reels active between scatter hits, but the larger payouts are concentrated in the moments when sticky wilds stack up during free spins.
Betting Range And Session Pacing
Betting on The Wild Life runs from a small per-spin minimum up to a much larger maximum, giving room for both low-stakes testing and higher-stakes sessions once a player is comfortable with the mechanics. Because the game leans on high volatility, base-game spins tend to produce frequent small or break-even returns, while the larger swings arrive almost entirely through the free spins feature. Players who prefer steady, low-swing sessions may find the wait between bonus triggers longer than in lower-volatility titles, so it helps to size bets with that pacing in mind rather than expecting regular mid-sized hits from the base game alone.
Questions About Playing The Wild Life
Does the lion wild carry its own payout, or does it only substitute?
It only substitutes for regular symbols on a winning line. The separate lioness animal symbol, not the lion wild, is the top-paying regular symbol on the paytable.
What happens if a wild reel locks on reel 2 early in the free spins?
It stays sticky for the rest of the bonus round, meaning that reel keeps producing wild positions on every remaining spin instead of resetting.
How many extra spins does one additional scatter add during the bonus?
Reviews commonly describe a fixed addition of two extra free spins for each further Africa scatter that lands while the feature is active.
Why does the lion wild only appear on reels 2, 3 and 4?
Confining the wild to the centre reels keeps outer reels 1 and 5 populated with base symbols, which preserves the value of the both-ways line structure instead of flooding the whole grid.
Can the free spins round retrigger more than once?
Yes, if additional Africa scatters land while free spins are already running, the feature extends with more spins rather than ending after the initial award.
Does every Canadian casino offering this slot use the same RTP?
Not necessarily. IGT ships configurable settings for this title, so the figure shown on the info screen can differ between operators even though many list 96.16%.
Does the free demo use the same math model as the real-money version?
The demo mirrors the configuration set up at that specific casino, so switching operators before playing for real could mean a different RTP setting applies.
Final Verdict On The Wild Life
Recommended for Players who enjoy high-volatility, both-ways line slots with a single strong bonus mechanic and a classic safari theme.
Harder to recommend for Players looking for frequent bonus triggers, several simultaneous features, or a bonus-buy option to skip straight to free spins.
The Wild Life delivers a focused, single-feature slot built around one well-executed idea: a sticky expanding wild that can lock down centre reels during free spins. It is not a game with layered mechanics or a long feature list, but what it does, it does clearly, wrapped in a coherent African savannah theme.