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Pragmatic Play · #14 most popular on Stake
Sharks! slot review
Sharks! is a Stake-exclusive Pragmatic Play slot that reworks the maths of the studio's 2026 game Cult with an underwater cartoon theme. Multiplier wilds worth up to 100x add together on winning spins, and in free spins the total keeps building instead of resetting. The game pays 96.51% RTP with high volatility and a 10,000x max win.
Sharks! free demo
Sharks! at a glance
- RTP
- 96.51%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 10,000×
Stake's game page shows 96.51%, the version Stake runs. Cult, the game it is based on, also comes in 95.50% and 94.52% versions; we found no lower version listed for Sharks!.
How to play Sharks!
Sharks! runs on five reels and four rows with 25 fixed paylines paying from left to right. Stakes run from 0.25 to 250 per spin. Four cartoon sharks in green, brown, purple and blue are the premium symbols, with jellyfish, seahorses, starfish and pufferfish as the low pays.
The paytable is modest. On a 1.00 stake, five of a kind pays 1.60 to 2.00 for the low symbols and 8.00 to 20.00 for the sharks, with the blue shark at the top. Five plain wilds or multiplier wilds pay 24.00.
Most of the value comes from multiplier wilds rather than line pays. A modest line win can become a large one when two or three multiplier coins join it.
Sharks! features explained
Two wild symbols drive the game.
- Wild: substitutes for every symbol except the scatter.
- Multiplier wild: a gold coin that also substitutes, and carries a random value of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 12x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x or 100x.
When multiplier wilds land on a spin with at least one win, their values are added together into a total multiplier that is applied to the spin's wins. Two coins of 10x and 25x make 35x, not 250x, so the system is additive rather than multiplicative.
In the base game, that total resets after every spin. Multiplier coins that land on a spin with no win do nothing, which is a common source of near misses.
Free spins in Sharks!
Three, four or five scatters award 10, 15 or 20 free spins. During the round, the reels change to special strips and the total multiplier stops resetting: every winning multiplier wild adds its value to a running total that applies to later wins that also include a multiplier wild.
That persistent total is where the 10,000x ceiling comes from. A round that builds a large total early can turn ordinary line wins into big results later on. A round that collects only a few small coins will pay much like the base game.
Landing three, four or five scatters during free spins awards 10, 15 or 20 more spins and keeps the running total intact.
Sharks! bonus buy and special bets
| Feature | Cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Ante bet | 5× bet per spin | A much higher chance of triggering free spins |
| Super Spin | 10× bet per spin | At least one multiplier wild on every spin; free spins cannot trigger |
| Free Spins | 100× bet | Starts the bonus with three to five scatters |
| Super Free Spins | 500× bet | The bonus with a higher chance of multiplier wilds on every spin |
The two per-spin modes are expensive. The ante bet here is not the usual 25% to 50% surcharge; it multiplies the cost of every spin by five. At a 1.00 stake, 100 spins with ante cost 500.00, and 100 Super Spins cost 1,000.00, without any chance of free spins.
The direct buys are easier to price. Free Spins at 100x is standard, while Super Free Spins at 500x targets players chasing a large running multiplier. We found no separate RTP figures for each mode.
Every special bet and buy raises the cost per round. Set a budget before using them and treat each purchase as a single high-risk bet.
Sharks! RTP, volatility and max win
The Sharks! RTP is 96.51%, the same as the standard version of Cult. That puts the house edge at 3.49% over the long run.
Volatility is high. The base game is lively thanks to the multiplier coins, but the big results depend on a free spins round building a large running total, and many rounds will not.
The max win is 10,000x the stake. With multiplier coins up to 100x and a total that keeps growing in the bonus, the cap is reachable in theory, but only in a rare round.
How Sharks! compares with Cult
Pragmatic Play released Cult in March 2026: a 5×4, 25-line slot with multiplier wilds up to 100x, an additive total multiplier, a persistent total in free spins and a 10,000x cap at 96.51% RTP. Sharks! keeps that maths and those rules and replaces the dark cult theme with a bright cartoon ocean.
The main practical difference is where you can play. Cult is a general release, while Sharks! is branded for Stake and carries the Only on Stake label. If you already know Cult, Sharks! will play the same way; if you found Cult's theme off-putting, this is the same game in friendlier clothes.
Who Sharks! suits
Sharks! suits players who like multiplier wilds and a bonus that builds over time. The running total gives free spins a clear sense of progress, and the base game has more going on than a standard line slot.
It suits players less if they want cheap special modes. The 5x ante and 10x Super Spin are among the more expensive per-spin options on Stake. The 0.25 minimum stake is also higher than most slots.
Play the free demo on Stake first to see how often multiplier coins land on a winning spin.
Our verdict on Sharks!
Sharks! is a capable reskin of a solid game. The additive multiplier wilds and the persistent free spins total give it a clear identity, and a 96.51% RTP with a 10,000x cap is reasonable for a high volatility release.
It brings nothing new beyond the theme, and the special bets are costly. Players who know Cult will find the same game here; for everyone else it is a fair, straightforward multiplier slot that is only on Stake.
Overall = 8.0×0.25 + 6.6×0.25 + 7.0×0.2 + 6.8×0.15 + 6.8×0.15 = 7.1. The score rates the game, not your odds of winning.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Multiplier wilds up to 100x in base game and bonus
- Free spins multiplier keeps building instead of resetting
- 96.51% RTP and a 10,000x max win
- Four ways to play, from base spins to a 500x Super buy
Cons
- A reskin of Cult with the same maths
- Ante bet at 5x and Super Spin at 10x are expensive per spin
- Multiplier coins only count on winning spins
- Higher minimum stake than most slots, at 0.25
Sharks! FAQ
Is there a Sharks! demo?
Yes. Sharks! is a Stake exclusive, so its demo runs on Stake: open the game and switch to Fun Play. We did not find a public Pragmatic Play demo.
What is the Sharks! RTP?
The RTP is 96.51%, the same as the standard version of Cult.
What is the Sharks! max win?
The max win is 10,000x your stake.
Can you buy the bonus in Sharks!?
Yes. Free Spins cost 100x the stake and Super Free Spins cost 500x. There is also a 5x ante bet and a 10x Super Spin mode.
How do the multiplier wilds work?
Each gold coin wild carries a value from 2x to 100x. On a winning spin, all coin values are added together and applied to the win. In free spins the total carries over between spins.
Is Sharks! the same as Cult?
It uses the same maths, rules and RTP as Pragmatic Play's Cult with a new underwater theme, and it is only available on Stake.
Sources
Facts checked 21 October 2026 against: stake.com/casino/games/pragmatic-play-sharks · slotcatalog.com/en/slots/sharks · respinix.games/play/sharks-pragmatic-play · igamingtoday.com/sharks-slot-review · allonlinecasinos.org/slots/sharks · pragmaticplay.com/en/games/cult
Not confirmed: Release date: sources disagree (Stake listing 4 September 2026 as reported in search results, livebet.com 23 September, slotcatalog.com about 24 September, allonlinecasinos.org about 28 September, igamingtoday.com 20 October), so releaseDate is null. Stake exclusivity: based on Stake's page title, which reads Play Only on Stake.com in search results; Stake's page itself was blocked from our network. Minimum bet: Stake, slotcatalog.com and allonlinecasinos.org give 0.25; igamingtoday.com's spec table says 0.10 while its text says 0.25. We used 0.25. Reskin of Cult: stated by respinix.games; the shared 5×4 layout, 25 lines, 100x multiplier wilds, 96.51% RTP and 10,000x cap match Pragmatic Play's Cult page and Cult coverage. Special bet and buy prices and the paytable come from igamingtoday.com (stated as 125x and 250x on a 25-coin bet, i.e. 5x and 10x the total stake) and match respinix.games for the ante and Super Spin. Volatility: high per slotcatalog.com, respinix.games and igamingtoday.com; OLBG rates Cult as very high. Demo symbol: no Pragmatic Play demo symbol was found; Sharks! appears to be playable in demo only on Stake. Design score is based on reviews; we did not review screenshots for this entry.
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