NetEnt · 2012 · expanding wild respins
Starburst: the beginner slot that makes you turn the phone
The game every Canadian casino hands out free spins on, and it still has no upright build. For a title aimed at new players that is a strange choice.
The phone check
Sideways is the only layout and the buttons are built for it. Fine in two hands, awkward hanging off a pole on the subway. The demo pulls about 11 MB before the first tap registers, which on a poor bar is where the 2.5 s goes. Getting money back out is a separate count and we keep it at cashout.
One build, one return figure
Only one configuration of Starburst is licensed, at 96.09%, so there is nothing to check and nothing to get wrong. That puts it in the minority: 123 of 306 titles here ship in two or three builds, and nothing on screen tells you which one loaded.
Sideways only
Ten lines paying both ways on a 5x3 board. NetEnt built the presentation wide in 2012 and never revisited it. You get a rotate prompt and 2.5 seconds of gem animation, then a strip of controls along the bottom that is fine in two hands.
This is the most common free spins game in the country, which means most people meet it on a phone, sideways, having been sent there by an offer.
Low swing, low ceiling
96.09%, one build, ten cents minimum, about 200 spins on a twenty. Low volatility so the balance moves in small steps, and the maximum is 500x, one of the smallest here. That combination is exactly why operators like it for wagering requirements.
Terms on those offers are picked apart at how we rate.
The rest of it
| Studio | NetEnt |
|---|---|
| Released | 2012 |
| Board | 5x3, 10 lines (both ways) |
| Mechanic | expanding wild respins |
| Volatility | Low |
| Top licensed return | 96.09% |
| House edge on that build | 3.91% |
| Max win | 500x |
| Minimum stake | C$0.10 |
| Spins on twenty dollars | about 200 |
| Free demo | yes, no account needed |
| Tags | classic, popular |
Starburst: what people ask
Is Starburst still worth playing?
It is the low volatility reference point for the whole industry: 96.09% back, wins that arrive constantly and stay small, and a top payout of 500x that you will not see.
As a first slot it is a reasonable place to learn what a paying spin feels like. As a session it is deliberately gentle, which is either the appeal or the problem.
Does Starburst work on a phone?
Not upright. There is no portrait build, so you turn the phone or you get a rotate prompt, and even sideways the controls are sized for a screen it was not drawn for.
It takes 2.5 seconds to reach a reel that accepts input. For a 2012 game with five reels and ten lines that is slower than it has any excuse to be.
What does paying both ways mean?
Symbols count from the left and from the right, so ten lines behave more like twenty. It is why the hit rate feels high on a game with a 500x ceiling.
It does not add return. The 96.09% already includes it. Both ways is a distribution choice, not a generosity one.
Done with the demo?
Every app we have taken apart is at app teardowns, ranked on install size, crashes and how many taps stand between a balance and a submitted withdrawal. The full list of sites that ship one is at sites.
Play for real in the app →