Gates of Xibalba Slot by Pragmatic Play: Free Demo & Game Review 2024

Gates of Xibalba Review

Xibalba roughly translates to “place of fright”, and Pragmatic Play has done a solid job with the audiovisual presentation in this Mayan underworld game. The Lord of Xibalba stands in a whirlpool playing with electricity that passes through his hands, and you get to see a giant snake curling itself around the grid in the bonus round intro and outro. That being said, it cannot be denied that Gates of Xibalba is a reskin of Forge Of Olympus.

The symbols are typical for a Mayan-inspired game, but you get electrifying animations that elevate this experience above average. As in the original game, you can look forward to scatter pay tumble wins that may or may not be boosted by additive multiplier symbols. The symbols accumulate to boost your total tumble win, and they are collected to level up the multiplier range per symbol in the bonus round. The 5,000x potential is the same as before, but Gates of Xibalba comes across as surprisingly refreshing for a reskin job.

Pragmatic Play - Slot Developer

Pragmatic Play is a powerhouse of a game developer, and also one of the most popular game providers across the board. They release more new games per month than most other providers, but they are also known for plenty of reskin jobs such as is the case with the game at hand.

Slot Theme And Storyline

Gates of Xibalba would be called ‘Gates of Hell’ if it was a depiction of Christian mythology, but this is a Mayan underworld game which makes it sound less dramatic. The visuals are pretty dramatic, however, and you get some highly engaging animations. The Lord of Xibalba is by your side at all times, and you can expect multiplier symbols whenever he does his thing there on the right-hand side.

Gates of Xibalba RTP, Volatility, And Max Win

The top-tier Gates of Xibalba RTP is 96.25 %, but you should be aware that this game also comes with lower RTP settings. This is a high volatility installment and it scores 5 out of 5 on Pragmatic Play’s in-game volatility scale. The Gates of Xibalba max win is 5,000x your stake, which is somewhat low for this volatility level according to our experience.

Gates of Xibalba Slot - Reels Screen

Gates of Xibalba Rules And Gameplay

Gates of Xibalba slot comes with a scatter pay system, and you win by landing 8 to 12+ matching symbols anywhere in view on the 6x5 grid. The 9 Mayan-inspired symbols pay between 0.25 and 10 times your stake for 6 matching symbols in view, while the payout range increases to 2 to 50 times your stake for 12+ matching symbols in sight. Winning symbols are removed and replaced via the Tumble Wins feature, giving you indefinite extra wins as long as you keep winning.

Symbols And Paytable

Gates of Xibalba Bonuses And Special Features

As the original game, Gates of Xibalba revolves around the tumble wins feature with additive multiplier symbols that can boost your total tumble sequence wins by up to x100 per symbol. The multiplier symbols are collected to upgrade the multiplier range in the bonus round.

Ante Bet

The Ante Bet is priced at a decent 25 % extra per spin, and keeping it on means your bonus round chances are doubled.

Multiplier Symbols

Multiplier symbols carry multipliers ranging from x2 to x100, which are applied to the total win after a tumble sequence has ended. This means that if you land more than one Multiplier symbol during a tumble sequence, the multiplier values accumulate to multiply your total win as the sequence ends.

Gates of Xibalba Free Spins

You trigger the Bonus Round from 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols in sight, and this awards 10, 15, or 20 free spins, respectively. You get an upfront scatter payout of 3x, 5x, or 100x your stake before the feature starts, respectively, and multiplier symbols are collected in a meter when they appear. This is how you level up the multiplier levels for the bonus round.

You start at Level 1, where multiplier symbols have values of x2 to x100. Once 6 multiplier symbols have been collected, the feature levels up to Level 2, and multiplier symbols now have values of x8 to x100. At level 3, you get multipliers that range from x15 to x100, and the multiplier symbols have values of x50 to x100 when you reach Level 4. This is the maximum level you can achieve, and you win +5 extra spins from 3+ scatters in view.

Gates of Xibalba Bonus Buy (not UK)

You can pay 100x your stake to start the bonus round at level 1, 200x to start at level 2, 400x to start at level 3, or 500x to start at level 4. The bonus buy menu is not available in all jurisdictions, and you get a minimum of 4 triggering scatters. The triggering scatters still pay, which means you can get a solid discount if you land 6 triggering scatters.

The 200 Spins Gates of Xibalba Online Slot Experience

You get to see a few base game wins, and then we purchase the top-tier bonus round. It triggers with 6 scatters 30 seconds into the 5-minute highlights video, which gave us a solid bonus buy discount. We landed some substantial wins during the feature as well, and you can check it all out for yourself by hitting the play button below.

Review Summary And Verdict

Gates of Xibalba game is reskin job done well, but a reskin job nonetheless. The Mayan underworld theme and visuals are superior to what you get in the original game, and the massive snake curling itself around the grid in the bonus round intro is a sight to behold. The theme is far more original overall, but the gameplay and math model are the same as before. The additive multiplier symbols can wreak havoc in the base game and deliver solid payouts out of the blue.

This makes Gates of Xibalba a well-balanced game that keeps you on your toes at all times. We recommend switching on the ante bet for this game if you can, as paying only 25 % extra will give you a lot more bonus round action. In fact, the hit rate is boosted from 1 in 362 spins to 1 in 181 spins, but the feature is not without frustrating moments. Landing massive multipliers without a win to cash in with is annoying, but it’s equally rewarding when the opposite happens.

Pros And Cons Of Gates of Xibalba Online Slot

How To Play Gates of Xibalba At An Online Casino

If you feel ready to take on Gates of Xibalba for real money at a casino, you can simply follow the instructions below to get started right away. At least you already know what we think of the game based on the Gates of Xibalba review verdict above. Here’s how to get started immediately:

• Follow this link to find a verified Gates of Xibalba casino right below the free demo game at the top of this page.
• Sign up at your chosen casino and make a deposit to claim your bonus.
• Head over to the game lobby and search for Gates of Xibalba.

Similar Slots To Try

If you enjoy Gates of Xibalba game, you can also try:

Forge of Olympus - is a scatter pay installment from Pragmatic Play, and it comes with Greek mythology theme. This is the original game that the game at hand is a clone of, so you know what to expect. Still, if you prefer a more common theme over this Mayan-themed release, here is your chance to check it out.

Gates of Hades - is a Greek mythology follow-up in this popular series, and it comes with tumble wins and multiplier symbols that boost your total win. The multiplier keeps building without resetting in the bonus round, and you can win up to 5,000x your stake.

Gates of Valhalla - is a Norse mythology installment in the ‘Gates’ series, and it sticks out a bit from the rest. You get roaming wilds with increasing multipliers, and you’ll benefit from a progressive win multiplier in the bonus round. The max win is a more generous 10,000x your stake.

Play The Game On Your Mobile

As with all slot games these days, Gates of Xibalba is available for mobile play and you can use your tablet or mobile phone as you see fit. Smaller screens may not do justice to a visually engaging game like this, however, but it is mobile optimized. You can play on Android or iOS units, and you don’t need to download a mobile app to play. It works directly in your browser, as with the Gates of Xibalba demo game found at the top of this page.

Strategy And Tips For Winning

We recommend that you play Gates of Xibalba slot with the Ante Bet turned on (if you are eligible), since paying only 25 % extra per spin means you get the bonus round twice as often on average. This is a better deal than what you get in many other ante bet games in our experience, and part of your Gates of Xibalba strategy should also be to play the top-tier RTP version of the game.

Gates of Xibalba Demo Version And Free Play

You can play the free Gates of Xibalba demo found via this link to the top of the review page. Testing the demo game before playing for real money is always a good idea. It gives you a sense of how the game flows, and what bet level is most likely to work for your specific budget.