Play money · no sign-up · no deposit
- RTP
- 96.46%
- Volatility
- Low
- Grid
- 5x3
Pragmatic PlayReleased 10 Dec 2020
John Hunter and the Mayan Gods Demo & review
A 10-line jungle adventure where every Wild in the free spins climbs a six-level ladder that turns cheap symbols into better ones for the rest of the round.
Written by Hampus GravePublished 9 Nov 2026Updated 11 Nov 2026
Our #1 pick to play for real
John Hunter and the Mayan Gods at YEET
10% weekly lossback
6.6/10
Yes, if you like a bonus that gets better the longer it runs. Each Wild in the free spins raises a level and upgrades the reels until the round ends, so a goblet at the start can be John Hunter himself by level 6. The drawback is the base game, where wins are mostly small and long gaps are normal.
Who it suits
Play this if…
- Bonus chasers: every Wild in the round makes the remaining spins better
- You like a low-volatility label with a bonus that can still swing: the ladder climbs through six levels
- Series fans: this is the John Hunter game built on upgrades instead of a Book
Skip this if…
- Bonus buyers: the free spins arrive through Scatters only
- Short-session players who need frequent wins: long gaps happen on 10 lines
- Anyone who wants the ceiling stated: neither the rules nor the provider's page gives a max win
Where to play John Hunter and the Mayan Gods
The casinos we recommend, with YEET as our #1 pick. How we test casinos
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YEET
FluxPlays score 9.5
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18+ · T&Cs apply · Offer checked 11 Nov 2026
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18+ · T&Cs apply · Offer checked 7 Oct 2026
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18+ · T&Cs apply · Offer checked 7 Oct 2026
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John Hunter and the Mayan Gods: Full Review
John Hunter and the Mayan Gods builds its whole bonus around one idea: every Wild in the free spins raises a level, and each level turns a cheaper symbol into a better one for the rest of the round. Pragmatic Play released the 10-line adventure in December 2020 and rates it low volatility. It suits players who want a bonus that improves as it goes, and it offers nothing to buy.
John Hunter and the Mayan Gods game information
- Provider
- Pragmatic Play
- Release date
- 10 December 2020
- Grid
- 5 x 3 (reels x rows)
- How it pays
- 10 paylines
- RTP
- 96.46% (rules)
- Volatility
- Low
- Bet range
- $0.10 to $250
- Bonus buy
- Not available
How John Hunter and the Mayan Gods works
Ten lines read from the leftmost reel, and three of a kind is the minimum on every symbol. John Hunter sits at the top of the paytable. Scatters pay on their own as well as starting the free spins, and their prizes are in the table.
| Symbol at a $1 bet | Five | Four | Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Hunter | $50.00 | $25.00 | $10.00 |
| Mayan god | $40.00 | $20.00 | $5.00 |
| Dragon head | $30.00 | $12.50 | $2.00 |
| Ring | $25.00 | $10.00 | $2.00 |
| Dagger | $20.00 | $5.00 | $1.00 |
| Goblet | $20.00 | $5.00 | $1.00 |
| A, K, Q, J | $10.00 | $2.00 | $0.50 |
| Scatter (total bet) | $50.00 | $20.00 | $2.00 |
The Wild appears only on reels 2, 3 and 4. It substitutes for everything except the Scatter, and whenever it can form a win it expands to fill its whole reel.
The base game at a 1.00 bet. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
Spin 61 settled at 13.00, the best base spin of the session, with five Qs paying 10.00 on line 7. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
John Hunter and the Mayan Gods free spins: how they trigger
Three or more Scatters award 12 free spins and start the ladder at level 1. Special reels are in play for the whole round, and the row of six icons above the reels shows which symbols have changed so far.
The six levels
A Wild hitting during the round both adds spins and climbs the ladder. One Wild adds more free spins (the rules page does not give the number) and raises the level by 1. Two Wilds add 3 more free spins and raise it by 2, and three Wilds add 5 more free spins and raise it by 3.
| Level | Change on the reel strips |
|---|---|
| 1 | Starting reels |
| 2 | Goblets become daggers |
| 3 | Daggers become rings |
| 4 | Rings become dragons |
| 5 | Dragons become Mayan gods |
| 6 | Mayan gods become John Hunter |
Every change lasts until the round ends, and they stack, because a symbol upgraded at one level can be upgraded again at the next. By level 4 goblets, daggers and rings have all turned into dragons, which is why the late spins of a long round are worth so much more than the early ones. This is the part of the game we would play for.
The rules page for the free spins: the level ladder, the extra spins and the retrigger. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
Retriggers
Three or more Scatters during the round add another 12 free spins, with no limit. Upgrades last until the round ends, so for us a retrigger at a high level is the best thing this game can do.
Free spins in play: the first icon in the top row has become a dagger, marking level 2. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
RTP, volatility and max win
The rules give 96.46%, and both the rules and the intro screen label the game low volatility. One review site calls it high, but the game's own label is the one we use. Neither the rules nor Pragmatic Play's page states a max win, and figures published elsewhere do not agree, so we list none. By the paytable, a board full of John Hunter pays 500x the bet on all 10 lines. Pragmatic Play's page mentions multipliers, but the rules we recorded list none, and the upgrades do that work instead.
Our John Hunter and the Mayan Gods demo test
FluxPlays demo test
9 November 2026, demo running 96.46% (rules) RTP
Base game spins
100
at $1 per spin
Staked
$100
Paid back
$73.50
73.5% of stake, -$26.50
Winning spins
14 of 100
14% of spins paid something
Biggest win
$36 (36x)
Natural free spins: 15 spins in the end (12 awarded, 3 added by Wilds)
Free spins triggered
1
natural trigger in the session
Played on Pragmatic Play's public demo (vs10mayangods) on 9 November 2026 in US dollars, no sign-in, from a 100,000 balance. The demo opened at $2.00 and was lowered to 10 coins per line at a $0.01 coin value on 10 lines, a $1.00 bet. A small script clicked the spin button; autoplay was not used. The game has no ante bet and no feature buy. Closing balance 99,973.50 on the server.
The free spins came on spin 85 and decided the session. The trigger spin paid $2.00, and the round grew from 12 to 15 free spins as Wilds raised the level to 4 by the end. Only two of those spins paid: free spin 8 for $14.00 and free spin 12 for $20.00, on a board of rings once goblets and daggers had become rings. The total was $36.00.
Free spin 12 settled at 20.00 on a board of rings, the larger of the round's two paying spins. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
The round settled: 36.00 from 15 free spins. FluxPlays demo test, 9 November 2026.
Levels 5 and 6, a retrigger and more than one Wild on a single free spin stayed out of our session, so those parts come from the rules. Base spins were otherwise quiet, with about one in seven paying and a longest gap of 18 rounds. One session cannot tell you what this game returns over time.
Is John Hunter and the Mayan Gods worth playing?
For a bonus chaser who likes a round that builds, yes. For someone who wants the base game to entertain on its own, it will feel slow. The ladder is what makes it, because a Wild in the free spins changes every spin that follows.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut is the same explorer on 10 lines, with a Book that expands one symbol drawn at random and a buy button. Pick it if you want the bonus on demand. Pick the Mayan Gods if you would rather earn a round that improves as it goes.
In the demo, watch the top row of icons during the free spins. It tells you the level at a glance and what the next Wild is worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you trigger free spins in John Hunter and the Mayan Gods?+
Three or more Scatters anywhere start the round with 12 free spins at level 1. Three or more Scatters during the round add 12 more, with no limit on retriggers. There is no buy, so the feature only arrives through the Scatters, and it came once in our session.
How do the free spin levels work?+
One Wild adds spins and raises the level by 1, two add 3 more and raise it by 2, and three add 5 more and raise it by 3. Each level turns one symbol into a better one until the round ends, from goblets into daggers at level 2 up to Mayan gods into John Hunter at level 6.
What is the max win in John Hunter and the Mayan Gods?+
Neither the game's rules nor Pragmatic Play's page states one, so we list no figure. Numbers published elsewhere run from 500x to 2,500x and do not agree. By the paytable, a board full of John Hunter pays 500x the bet on one spin across all 10 lines.
Is John Hunter and the Mayan Gods high volatility?+
No, the rules and the intro screen both label it low volatility. One listing calls it high, but the game's own label is the one we use. In our session wins came on about one spin in seven, and the free spins round paid on only two of its spins.
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