Five Book style slots, ranked by RTP from 96.31% down to 95.95%. All five share the same core idea: one symbol works as both Wild and Scatter, and a chosen symbol expands to fill whole reels during free spins. What separates them is who picks that symbol, what you can change before or during the spin, and how high the ceiling goes.
How this list is ranked
- Primary criterion: published RTP, highest first.
- Tie break: where two games share an RTP, they share a rank.
- Scope: Book style slots in this catalogue from providers' published figures, where the Book symbol is both Wild and Scatter and an expanding symbol drives the free spins.
- What "best" means here: highest RTP against these criteria. It does not mean best chance of winning in a session. Every game on this list returns less than it takes over time, and the RTP gaps between them are small next to session to session variation.
1. Book of Oz
Verdict: the only game here that lets you pay to change a spin after it lands.
Key stat: 96.31% RTP, the highest on the list. High volatility, 5,000x max win, 5x3 with 10 fixed paylines.
After any spin you can respin a single reel for a cost shown beneath it, while the other four stay locked. Scatters pay out in tiers: 3, 4 or 5 award 10, 12 or 25 free spins, and retriggers have no fixed limit.
Suits: players who want some control over the grid rather than a fixed spin.
Drawback: the respin is an extra cost on top of your stake, and the provider's published figures don't say whether that respin price carries the same 96.31% return. A tempting respin when you're one Scatter short is also the easiest way to spend more than planned.
2. Book of Dead (joint)
Verdict: the reference design the others are measured against.
Key stat: 96.21% RTP, High volatility, 5,000x max win, 5x3 with 10 adjustable paylines.
Three or more Scatters award 10 free spins. The game picks one regular symbol at random to expand for the whole round, and it pays even when it isn't on an active payline. Three more Scatters retrigger 10 more spins.
Suits: anyone who wants the original formula without extra systems layered on top.
Drawback: you have no say at all over the expanding symbol, and the round's value leans heavily on which one the game picks.
2. Book of Ra (joint)
Verdict: the gentlest ride on the list, with an optional gamble that pulls the other way.
Key stat: 96.21% RTP, and the only Medium volatility game here. 5,000x max win, 5x3 with 9 adjustable paylines.
Three or more Book symbols anywhere trigger 10 free spins with a randomly chosen expanding symbol. The distinctive extra is the base game Gamble feature: guess a hidden card's colour to double a win, up to 5 times in a row, not available during free spins.
Suits: players who prefer a less swingy version of the Book formula.
Drawback: the Gamble feature turns a Medium volatility game into something far more all or nothing if you use it. It's optional, and skipping it is a legitimate choice.
4. Book of Shadows
Verdict: the highest ceiling on the list by a wide margin, paid for with a higher cost per spin.
Key stat: 30,338x max win, about six times the 5,000x shared by the other four. 96.01% RTP, High volatility.
The grid starts at 5x3 with 10 paylines and expands to 5x5 with up to 20 paylines through optional Shadow Rows, each of which raises the cost of a spin. Free spins play at whatever row height you had active when they triggered. Before the round you get one chance to reshuffle the randomly chosen expanding symbol.
Suits: players who specifically want the largest possible outcome in this style and accept a pricier spin.
Drawback: activating rows raises what every spin costs, and the RTP sits 0.30 percentage points below Book of Oz.
5. Book of Gold
Verdict: the one that hands the key decision to you, at the lowest RTP here.
Key stat: 95.95% RTP, High volatility, 5,000x max win, 5x3 with 10 paylines.
Instead of a random pick, you choose which regular symbol becomes the Special Expanding Symbol before free spins start. A low paying symbol lands more often but pays less; a high paying one lands less often but pays far more. Retriggers add 10 spins, capped at 50 free spins in total.
Suits: players who'd rather make the call themselves than leave it to chance.
Drawback: the lowest RTP on the list, and the only one with a hard cap on retriggers. Choosing the symbol changes how the round's risk is shaped; it does not change the game's return.
Summary table
| Rank | Game | Provider | RTP | Volatility | Max win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Book of Oz | Microgaming | 96.31% | High | 5,000x |
| 2= | Book of Dead | Play'n GO | 96.21% | High | 5,000x |
| 2= | Book of Ra | Novomatic | 96.21% | Medium | 5,000x |
| 4 | Book of Shadows | Nolimit City | 96.01% | High | 30,338x |
| 5 | Book of Gold | Playson | 95.95% | High | 5,000x |
The spread from first to last is 0.36 percentage points. On €100 wagered, that's a difference of 36 cents in expected return, which is why the features, not the RTP ranking, will shape how each game actually feels to play.
Playing responsibly in Malta
Online slots in Malta are for players aged 18 and over at MGA licensed casinos, all of which must offer deposit limits and self exclusion. Book style bonus rounds hinge on a single expanding symbol, so one round can swing hard either way; set your budget before the bonus arrives, not during it. The Responsible Gaming Foundation helpline is 1777 and Appoġġ Supportline is 179.