San Quentin xWays Slot Review 🥇 (2025)

San Quentin Slot Overview

Join a band of fearsome convicts in one of America’s most infamous prisons in the San Quentin slot, a 5 reel, 243 ways to win video slot from Nolimit City. Played using the developer’s unique xWays mechanic, look out for special Enhancer Cells which can in turn Razor Split symbols. These can hugely increase the number of ways to win. The main bonus round is the Lockdown Free Spins with jumping wilds and multipliers that can boost payouts by up to 512x. Insanely volatile, the San Quentin max win is an enormous 150,000 x bet.

San Quentin Details, RTP, Payout and Volatility

The base game action in the San Quentin slot plays out on a 5 reel, 3 rows and 243 ways to win. Land 3 or more matching symbols from left to right on adjoining reels, starting from reel 1 to form a winning combination. That number can increase hugely courtesy of the Enhancer Cells, splits and xWays symbols. I’ll look at these in detail in the feature section below.

The prison-themed slot is played with bets of between $/£/€0.20 and $/£/€32 per spin. Click on the Coin icon to adjust your stake size. Players in some jurisdictions will have the opportunity to use Autoplay and run between 10 and 1,000 auto spins. Use the arrows below the Spin button to activate these. There’s also a Quick Spin option. Neither the Autoplay nor Quick Spin mode are available to UK players.

The San Quentin RTP is 96.03%. 58.74% of that return is for the base game with 37.29% for the free spins. Nolimit City has also produced a 94.11% RTP version which may be used at some online casino websites.

The game has a hit frequency rate of 34.25% so expect to see a winner land on just over one-third of spins on average. The San Quentin volatility is insanely high and categorised as extreme by the provider Nolimit City.

Finally, San Quentin xWays comes with 150,000 x bet max wins which is known as Psycho Manhunt. Winning 100 x your total bet or higher will occur every 974 spins on average.

San Quentin Theme, Audio and Symbols

There’s a suitably gritty feel to the design in the San Quentin slot. It is based on an infamous jailhouse after all. Porridge it most certainly is not! The setting here is a maximum-security prison. Surveillance cameras flank the reels with barbed-wire fences, huge walls and a watchtower in the background.

There’s some Latin American-inspired hip-hop playing in the base game. This morphs into a hard rock soundtrack during the Lockdown Spins which gives the bonus a really tough feel.

On the reels, you’ll find toilet roll symbols, handcuffs, a knife/blade combo weapon, a lighter and a bar of soap alongside five higher-paying convict symbols. They are the delightfully named Crazy Joe Labrador, Biker Bill, Loco Luis, Heinrich the 3rd and Beefy Dick. A fearsome-looking bunch they are too. Beefy Dick is the best-paying symbol awarding 5 x your total bet for 5 in combination.

There’s also a Split Wild which substitutes for all the standard symbols and a bonus symbol which can trigger the feature. Other symbols you’ll come across include the xWays, Razor Split, Jumping Wilds and Bonus. Below is a list of symbol payouts:

Toilet Roll: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.15, 0.6 or 1.5 x bet
Handcuffs: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.15, 0.6 or 1.5 x bet
Knife/Razor: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.15, 0.6 or 1.5 x bet
Zippo Lighter: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.2, 0.75 or 2 x bet
Soap: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.2, 0.75 or 2 x bet
Crazy Joe Labrador: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.25, 0.9 or 2.5 x bet
Biker Bill: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.3, 1 or 3 x bet
Loco Luis: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.35, 1.1 or 3.5 x bet
Heinrich the 3rd: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.4, 1.25 or 4 x bet
Beefy Dick: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 1.5 or 5 x bet

San Quentin Mobile

San Quentin has been fully optimised for play on smartphones and tablets as well as desktop and laptop computers. When the xWays and Splits Wilds do their stuff, there can be a huge number of symbols on display. The comic-book design in the San Quentin mobile version is up to the job though and works nicely.

San Quentin Bonus Features

Nolimit City has packed plenty of extras into this virtual trip to the jailhouse. Unlock Enhancer Cells to add more symbols and ways to win. Look out too for Split and Jumping Wilds. The main attraction is the Lockdown Spins Bonus which awards free spins where the Enhancer Cells are unlocked throughout.

Enhancer Cells

Above and below each reel are a couple of symbol positions that are locked behind bars. You can unlock these positions when you land 1 or 2 Bonus symbols. The Bonus symbols also become wild. A limited selection of symbols can land in Enhancer Cells. You could see any of the 5 higher-paying convicts, a wild, a Razor Split or an xWays symbol.

If you land a Razor Split symbol, all the symbols on that reel are sliced in two, doubling their number. A Razor Split in both the top and bottom Enhancer Cell quadruples the number of symbols. More symbols in turn means more ways to win. If every position on the reels is unlocked with Razor Splits, the number of ways to win reaches a mind-boggling 13,189,257,216 (that’s over 13 billion by the way).

If an xWays symbol lands in the Enhancer Cell, you’ll see stacks of 4 high symbols. These turn 8 symbols high if you land xWays in both Enhancer Cells.

Split Wilds

Land a Split Wild and all the standard symbols on that reel turn into two. The only exception is the Split Wild itself which stays as a single symbol. The number of ways to win can top 46,000 with these in play.

Lockdown Spins

Land 3, 4 or 5 Bonus symbols on the same spin to activate the Lockdown Spins feature. This will take approximately 230 spins to trigger on average. Before the feature begins, you’ll head to a new screen. This will determine how many free spins you’ll play, plus the multiplier. Both of these are chosen at random.

Regardless of how many free spins you receive, all the Enhancer Cells are active. You’ll also receive 1, 2 or 3 Jumping Wilds depending on how many scatters you landed on the triggering spin. Each Bonus symbol that lands awards more free spins and adds another Jumping Wild.

Jumping Wilds will jump to a random regular reel position for each free spin. Land a Jumping Wild on a reel with a Razor Split and the value of the multiplier is doubled. This multiplier will stay active for the rest of the round and can get as high as 512x.

Nolimit Bonus

Players in some territories will have the chance to buy their way into the Lockdown Spins feature. Not available to players in the UK, there are 3 options:

3 Bonus Scatters = 100 x bet (96.26% RTP)
4 Bonus Scatters = 400 x bet (96.26% RTP)
5 Bonus Scatters = 2,000 x bet (96.95% RTP)

San Quentin Slot Verdict

The gameplay in the San Quentin slot can seem rather complicated with the Enhancer Cells, Split symbols, Split Wilds and the like. This is a game that’s well worth trying in demo mode first.

Once you have got used to the unusual xWays mechanic, there’s a lot to like about San Quentin. The sound and visuals are excellent, delivering plenty of atmosphere. This isn’t your jokey Slade Prison with Norman Stanley Fletcher. This is a much tougher environment, and the design reflects that.

This slot can pack a punch every bit as hard as San Quentin’s toughest convicts. The maximum win here is known as the Psycho Manhunt and delivers an enormous 150,000 x bet. It will take 1.8 million spins on average to win this in the Lockdown Spins feature when triggering with 4 or more Bonus symbols.

The controversial and gritty theme and design won’t be to all tastes. If you like slots that deliver high-variance action and offer plenty of innovative gameplay, a journey to San Quentin should appeal.

If it’s prison-inspired slots you’re after, Nolimit City offers you Folsom Prison (75,000 x bet max wins). Another option is Remember Gulag (also by NLC) which takes you to forced labour camps in the Soviet Union era. It comes with 30,000 x bet max wins and up to 616,656 ways to win.

San Quentin was released in 2021 and was the highest-paying slot at the time. Nolimit City surpassed that with Tombstone RIP which offers 300,000 x bet payouts. It’s also controversial and brutal with amputations, vicious murders and gruesome hangings.

San Quentin Pros and Cons

Pros

150,000 x bet max wins
Unique + controversial theme
Over 13 billion ways to win

Cons

Insanely high volatility

blondie 1422 reviews
• Message

LIKED

San Quentin is a slot from Nolimit City game provider that was released several months ago. And let me just say, it's a release that leaves an impression on you- good or bad- that's another story. I was quite interested in trying this game out for many reasons. First of all, I quite enjoy the Nolimit City games as they always stand. Secondly, most of their games have good winning potential.

San Quentin is a 243 ways slot inspired by the prison theme. And I have to say I have a bit of mixed emotions about the design. The color scheme is great but some of the graphics are a bit off for me, for example a "prison soap" scene when you have a 0 win. Other than tat, I find the gameplay quite exciting. At any given time you can have a wild reel on the screen which can help to get good base game hits. The base game payouts are quite decent and I've had multiple 50x bet wins on it.

Then of course the main part of the game is the bonus round as that's where the big wins can happen. For 3 or more scatters you get a free spins round where one of the prisoners get additional multiplier. The fun thing is that you never know how many spins you'll have or which character will have multipliers. The thing though is that for 3 scatters, there will only be 3 reels which will roll and show your free spins amount. But if you have 5 scatters, all 5 reels will unveil free spins so you have better chances for a good free spins amount.

In the free spins you will also get a sticky multiplier, up to 3 depending on how many scatters triggered the bonus. Then if your wild lands on a reel with razorblade, your multiplier will double. All in all, it's a bonus round where a lot is happening and there's major potential for big wins. I've had a 1000x bet win, 2000x bet win and even 3500x bet win- however they have come from bonus buys. I usually buy the 4 scatter bonus as it costs 400x bet and if it runs well, it has a lot of potential. When I've had a good balance, I've bought the 2000x bonus buys a few times but they've never broken even so I really think it's something you should be extremely cautious about before purchasing a feature like this. I also have mixed feelings on the responsible gambling aspect for having such a high bonus buy feature created.

Overall, this is a game that you either love or hate. I do enjoy it a lot but I think the bonus buy can make it quite addictive, as the base game payouts can't compare to the bonus potential. Other than that, it's a very entertaining game that has extreme volatility so I'd recommend to be careful with bonus buys.

Compliment reviewer

towncredta 3 reviews
•

San Quentin xWays is a high-volatility slot with a gripping prison theme and exciting features. The xWays mechanic transforms symbols for big win potential, and the free spins can really ramp up the action. It’s a tough game, but the rewards are worth the challenge for those who love high-risk slots with huge payout potential.

Attila.P 1 review
• Hungary Message

This is a very controversial game but extremely exciting, It would be nice if bigger prizes could be redeemed from the base game, but this is almost impossible. the positive thing is that after redeeming the 2000x bonus, there is a great possibility of a huge prize, and there is a pretty good chance of at least half of it return on investment.

DISLIKED

It is very difficult to trigger the Bonus round in the base game. It is almost impossible. And this is very frustrating, but if it succeeds, it requires a huge investment of time, and here it is very important to say that the adjustable rtp ranges play a key role. With a value below 96%, the bonus round can also result in a big loss. , that is, I recommend everyone to check this setting in their own casino (that's why I changed casinos).

Fiekie247 1029 reviews
• South Africa Message

The San Quentin xWays video slot is based on the infamous maximum-security prison for men. This is one of the oldest to be found in California, and it has appeared in films such as Get Hard.

As you already know, this game features a prison theme. The background is made up of the prison walls and has barbwire running along the top of it. The background music is a hip-hop soundtrack that is well suited to the game. Visuals are crisp and clear and have high definition. There are also cameras situated on either side of the reel, which adds to the theme.

The game is developed by Nolimit City and features 5-reels and 243 ways to win. The game is highly volatile and makes use of the xWays mechanic. It also features Enhancer Cells that serve the purpose of revealing Razor Split symbols. This gives you many more ways to win which goes up to an amazing 13,189,257,216 win ways.

The real gem though when it comes to features is the Lockdown Spins feature. Where free spins are chosen at random for you. There are also Jumping Wilds that are accompanied along with a multiplier that doubles up to 512x if you are lucky enough for it to land on reels with Razor Split symbols. All this can lead to 150,000x your stake maximum wins per free spin. Sounds exciting right?

You can buy your way into the bonus feature, but getting a shot at the max win you need to pay an enormous x2000 your total bet for 3 jumping wilds and hope for the best win. I don’t know it seems a little too drastic to spend x2000 your total stake for a bonus, however, the feature is well worth it, but not many can take the risk or can afford x2000 bonus buys.

This game is not for the faint-hearted, as it is extremely volatile. However, if you are after those big wins. Then it comes highly suggested.

The downside of the x2000 feature kind of promotes unhealthy gambling slightly IMHO. Besides paying x2000 your total bet for a feature, this also just shows the difficulty of naturally landing triggering an x2000 bonus feature with a normal spin. All Nolimit City slots are so impossible to naturally trigger the Super Bonus! With that said, the normal bonuses get boring and hardly pay and thus forcing more and more punters to buy super bonuses leading to overspending in terms of what they can afford.

San Quentin xWays Slot Nolimit City

San Quentin Slot Overview

San Quentin Details, RTP, Payout and Volatility