San Quentin Slot Review
Inspired by the notorious California prison, San Quentin is a 5 x 3 slot with at least 243 ways to win and a top prize of 150,000x your bet available. We’ll cover everything you need to know about it in our San Quentin review, including the Enhancer Cells, Split Wilds, very high volatility, and more. San Quentin was released in January 2021 by Nolimit City, creator of such slots as Disturbed, Serial, and Folsom Prison.
San Quentin
San Quentin RTP and Wagering
San Quentin uses a standard 5-reel, 3-row layout with 243 ways to win, though you can unlock many more ways if you land Razor Split or Split Wild symbols. You can bet from £0.20 to £32 on each spin.
To build a winning combination and grab a prize in San Quentin, you need to land three or more identical symbols across adjacent reels (from left to right). San Quentin’s base Return to Player (RTP) rate is around average at 96.03%.
As San Quentin has incredibly high volatility, the prizes available are more generous than in less-volatile slot games, but bigger payouts are less frequent. The maximum potential win on offer in San Quentin is one of the biggest we’ve seen — 150,000x your bet!
Best Casinos to Play San Quentin
You’ll find San Quentin at a wide range of online casinos, but which are best? Check out our pick of the top slot sites for playing San Quentin below.
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San Quentin Symbols and Audio & Video Design
As San Quentin is inspired by the prison of the same name, it’s not the cutest or most light-hearted slot, but it’s still visually impressive.
The prison’s stark exterior fills the background, with watchtowers, barbed wire, and security cameras on display. Heavy guitar music and the sound of cell doors slamming complement these grimy visuals perfectly.
There are 10 standard symbols in San Quentin, represented by 5 inmates and 5 common prison items (e.g. a shiv). The highest-paying standard symbol is inmate Beefy Dick, worth up to 5x your bet. While the standard symbols only award small prizes, splitting them in two can lead to better payouts. Split Wilds, Jumping Wilds, and Bonus symbols can also land on the reels.
Toilet Roll
3 — 0.15x bet / 4 — 0.60x bet / 5 — 1.50x bet
Handcuffs
3 — 0.15x bet / 4 — 0.60x bet / 5 — 1.50x bet
Shiv
3 — 0.15x bet / 4 — 0.60x bet / 5 — 1.50x bet
Lighter
3 — 0.20x bet / 4 — 0.75x bet / 5 — 2x bet
Soap
3 — 0.20x bet / 4 — 0.75x bet / 5 — 2x bet
Crazy Joe Labrador
3 — 0.25x bet / 4 — 0.90x bet / 5 — 2.50x bet
Biker Bill
3 — 0.30x bet / 4 — 1x bet / 5 — 3x bet
Loco Luis
3 — 0.35x bet / 4 — 1.10x bet / 5 — 3.50x bet
Heinrich the 3rd
3 — 0.4x bet / 4 — 1.25x bet /5 — 4x bet
Beefy Dick
3 — 0.50x bet / 4 — 1.50x bet / 5 — 5x bet
San Quentin Mobile Features
San Quentin was created with HTML5 technology, so it’s available for you to play on desktop and mobile devices. The graphics are just as sharp on smartphones and tablets, and the controls are easy to use on a touchscreen. You can play San Quentin in landscape or portrait mode, whichever you prefer.
San Quentin Bonus Features
San Quentin has a great range of bonus features that give the gameplay extra depth. Let’s dive right in.
Enhancer Cells
Enhancer Cells appear at the top and bottom of the reels. These are locked initially, but landing one or two Bonus symbols will open the Enhancer Cells on the respective reels.
Open Enhancer Cells can reveal one of the top-five standard symbols, a Wild, a Razor Split, or an xWays symbol. The Razor Split symbol splits all symbols on its reel to double the positions and increase the number of ways to win. This happens twice if Razor Splits land in the top and bottom Enhancer Cells on the same reel.
The xWays symbol reveals matching symbols stacked four positions high.
Bonus Symbols
If you land one or two Bonus symbols during the base game, they will turn Wild and open their reels’ Enhancer Cells.
Split Wilds
Split Wilds can appear on any reel during the base game. This splits all standard symbols on that reel, but never itself. Split Wilds can increase the number of ways to win to more than 46,000.
Lockdown Spins
Three or more Bonus symbols trigger the Lockdown Spins feature. You’ll get one to three Jumping Wilds to start with, and the Enhancer Cells in the triggering reels will stay open.
The number of spins and win multiplier awarded are selected randomly. Inmate mystery symbols will reveal any inmate symbol or a Jumping Wild.
Jumping Wilds
Jumping Wilds (the police badge) leap to random positions on each spin during the Lockdown Spins feature. If Jumping Wilds land on reels with a Razor Split, they double the current win multiplier (up to a maximum of 512x).
Nolimit Bonus
You can use the Nolimit Bonus feature to trigger the Lockdown Spins feature immediately for a price. The cost is 100x, 400x, or 2,000x your bet for 3, 4, or 5 Bonus symbols. The RTP increases to 96.26% for 3 to 4 Bonus symbols, and 96.95% for 5 Bonus symbols.
San Quentin Final Thoughts
San Quentin is a slot with an original theme that won’t be to everyone's taste, but it includes fantastic features and a massive top win nevertheless.
The game’s volatility is very high, and the top win of 150,000x your bet is mind bending, though the chances of hitting it are extremely slight. If you’re looking for a highly volatile but unique slot, give San Quentin a try.
Rating: 9.0
If you like San Quentin, then check out these other Crime Theme slot games
San Quentin FAQ
Let’s answer five common questions about San Quentin:
