The Ultimate 5

Welcome to the Wilds of The Ultimate 5

Picture yourself on the edge of an endless African savannah, the sun dropping low over swaying grasses and distant Marula trees. The Ultimate 5 slot whisks you straight into the heart of this warm, golden landscape. A soft, 80s-style electronic soundtrack hums in the background, stitched together with tribal drumbeats and the occasional playful flute. Sometimes it feels dramatic, sometimes almost too cheerful for the tranquil wild. It’s a bit of a mashup, but it does set a mood.

Made by Pragmatic Play—one of those developers whose slots you spot from a mile off—The Ultimate 5 isn’t here to wow with state-of-the-art 3D flash, but you’ll get solid visuals. The animals are drawn with realism but glow with cartoonish edges, each symbol just bright enough to catch your eye. Watch the lion, with its blazing mane, stare right at you from the reels. Lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and wildebeests fill the grid, while a gentle river snakes through the dusty plain behind. Every now and then, a white bird sweeps across the scenery. All in, it’s one for animal lovers and anyone itching for a digital safari, even if it does slip into a Disney-like nostalgia here and there.

How The Ultimate 5 Slot Plays

The Ultimate 5 slot runs on a classic five-reel, three-row setup. Nothing wild there, just 20 fixed paylines—no need to adjust or fiddle about. Everything pays left to right, and only the top win per line gets paid out, so it keeps things tidy.

You can get rolling from as little as €0.20 (or your local currency equivalent), which means low rollers and cautious types can spin along comfortably. If you’re in for bigger swings, you can crank it up to a max bet of €100 a spin. Pragmatic Play’s interface is easy to pick up, especially if you’ve played a slot or two from their stable before: minus and plus buttons for bet size, a prominent spin button, and a useful ‘i’ menu that holds the paytable.

As for stats, The Ultimate 5 RTP clocks in at 96.5%. That’s a shade above the industry average—always a positive. Now, don’t let that fool you into thinking this is an ‘easy win’ slot. The volatility is high. Whole stretches can feel a little quiet, then suddenly you’ll hit a burst that can get the heart racing. If you’ve got a strategy that banks on big, less frequent wins, this machine will suit you. Play a few spins and you’ll feel that stop-start flow—classic high variance, through and through.

Bonuses and Special Features: Hitting the Heart of the Savannah

Here’s where The Ultimate 5 gives you something to chew on. When it comes to features, you’ve got free spins, a Hold & Spin Super Boost, and plenty of wilds and scatters doing their thing.

The Wild symbol—an arty tree at sunset—covers for everything except the scatter and money symbols. It’s not one of those sticky or expanding wilds, just a good old-fashioned substitute. The scatter is a diamond, and hitting three, four, or five of these anywhere on the reels gets you 8, 10, or 12 free spins, respectively.

During free spins, the game shakes things up by randomly removing the lowest-paying card symbols with each level-up. It’s a tidy mechanic that starts dropping those pesky 10s, then Jacks, all the way up to Aces, which means more room for the chunky animal symbols to land. Every time a level-up kicks in, you’re guaranteed at least one wild on the spin, ratcheting up your chances for a heavier win. Overlay diamond symbols can drop on top of any icon, awarding extra free spins—up to 8 extra if you’re lucky enough to land five of them.

The star turn, though, is the Hold & Spin Super Boost. Land three (or more) money symbols (that’s the bright sun icon) and you’ll unlock this bonus round. Regular symbols vanish, and now it’s just money symbols (with random cash values) and empty spaces. Each round gives you three respins. Any money symbols you land stick in place and reset the re-spin count back to three. When they land next to each other (sideways or up and down), they group up and all ramp up to the next highest cash value. If you fill all 15 spots, you snag the Mega prize—a healthy chunk that makes the base game’s stretches easier to bear. It sounds trickier than it is, but you’ll get the hang of linking and stacking values as soon as you try it.

All About The Ultimate 5’s Symbols and Payouts

You’ll see a clean divide between the animals and the card symbols when you play. The lion is king here—catch five on a line and you’re looking at 12x your stake, the best regular pay in the game. Leopard, elephant, rhino, and wildebeest all follow, dropping in value as they go but still decent, especially once the lower cards start vanishing during free spins.

Card symbols (10 through Ace) make up the lower end. They’re nothing flashy, paying out tidy but small wins. The wild actually matches the lion’s payout—another good reason to watch for those trees at sunset.

Don’t forget: the diamond scatter might not give direct cash payouts on the reels, but it opens the door to free spins, which can get downright juicy when you start clearing out the lower symbols. The sun money symbol is your ticket into those Hold & Spin rounds, where payouts can jump fast, especially if you get a lucky string of clustered group-ups.

Getting Started: How to Play The Ultimate 5

If you’re new, it’s simple enough. Once the game loads, use the plus and minus controls to set your bet—start low if you want to get a feel, especially if you’re using The Ultimate 5 demo or testing the waters in free play mode. The spin button gets things moving, and an autoplay option is available if you want to let it ride.

All wins land left to right, and you can always pop the paytable open by tapping the ‘i’ icon to check payouts and feature info. Expect the first handful of spins to feel light—most wins are small to mid until a bonus hits, but that’s all part of the high volatility ride.

How Does The Ultimate 5 Stack Up Against Other Slots?

If you’ve played other Pragmatic Play games—think Wolf Gold or Mustang Gold—the structure will feel familiar, but with that extra hold & spin twist. Players who love safari or wildlife slots, like Mega Moolah or Great Rhino, will find similar vibes but with a bit more edge thanks to the bonus rounds and symbol removal in free spins.

Compared to trendier cluster-pays or Megaways titles, The Ultimate 5 is more straightforward, but it’s not without its quirks. That Hold & Spin Super Boost brings a refreshing pace change, especially for anyone tired of the usual free spin grind.

Wrap-Up: Should You Try The Ultimate 5?

When the mood for an African safari strikes, The Ultimate 5 slot fits the brief. There’s nothing wildly new here—it’s classic Pragmatic Play, but with enough bonus action to keep things interesting. High volatility and an RTP over 96% mean bigger wins are possible, if you can handle the dry stretches. And the animal theme, paired with its cartoon-style symbols and easygoing soundtrack, give it a charm that’s hard to ignore—especially for animal lovers.

Not sure if it’s your thing? Give The Ultimate 5 demo or free play option a go before committing your balance. And if you’re left wanting more adventure, other Pragmatic Play titles or top safari slots like Great Rhino and Mega Moolah are worth a spin too. Either way, this is a game you can dip into, whether you’re after a tame few spins or the thrill of chasing those elusive safari jackpots.