Vikings Go Wild

Vikings Go Wild is the slot that kicked off Yggdrasil Gaming's beloved Vikings Go series, sending a crew of Norse warriors out to sea to battle a fearsome sea creature. Released in August 2015, it plays across 5 reels, 4 rows and 25 fixed paylines with an RTP of 96.3% and low-medium volatility, making it a solid pick for players who want regular action without massive swings in their balance.

Quick Facts

Theme and Design

The game drops you straight onto a Viking longship in the middle of a storm-tossed ocean. Four bearded warriors stand guard across the reels while a tentacled sea monster lurks beneath the waves. Yggdrasil's 3D animation work was genuinely impressive for 2015 and still holds up well today, with the Vikings springing to life whenever they form part of a winning combination. The lower-value symbols are a set of ornate coins in green, bronze, silver and gold, while the four Viking characters serve as the premium symbols with payouts reaching up to 12.5x your stake for five of a kind.

Free Spins and Sticky Wilds

The free spins round is where Vikings Go Wild earns its name. Landing three or more longship scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the feature, awarding 8, 16 or 24 free spins for three, four or five scatters respectively.

During free spins, every Viking symbol that lands on the reels can transform into a sticky wild. These wilds lock in place for the remainder of the round, so as your free spins progress you can end up with reels heavily stacked with wilds. It creates a natural sense of momentum where each spin has the potential to improve every spin that follows it.

Any wilds already on the reels when the feature triggers also convert to sticky wilds straight away, giving you a head start before your free spins even begin counting down.

Treasure Chest Bonus

Keep an eye on reel 5, where a treasure chest symbol can appear during both the base game and free spins. In the base game, opening the chest awards an instant coin prize of up to 1,000 coins. During free spins, the treasure chest becomes considerably more valuable, potentially awarding extra free spins (between 2 and 4 additional spins) alongside cash prizes of up to 40x your stake.

This extra layer adds a welcome bit of unpredictability to the free spins round, giving you additional chances to fill the reels with sticky wilds.

Betting Range and Payouts

Stakes run from a minimum of 0.25 up to 100 per spin, covering a wide range of budgets. With a maximum win of 1,900x your total stake, Vikings Go Wild is not designed to deliver the enormous single-hit payouts that higher-volatility slots aim for. Instead, the 26.1% hit frequency means you land a winning combination roughly once every four spins, which keeps your balance ticking along and sessions feeling active.

The low-medium volatility pairs well with the sticky wild mechanic during free spins. Rather than relying on one lucky spin, big wins build gradually as more wilds lock into position across the round.

The Vikings Go Series

Vikings Go Wild was the game that started it all, and Yggdrasil followed it up with several sequels that build on the same Norse crew and core mechanics. Vikings Go Berzerk raises the stakes with a rage meter that fills across spins and can turn Vikings wild even in the base game, while Vikings Go To Hell takes the crew into the underworld with a multi-level free spins feature. Each sequel layers on additional complexity, but this original remains the most straightforward entry point into the series.

Is Vikings Go Wild Worth Playing?

This slot occupies a comfortable middle ground. It will not deliver the 50,000x payouts that modern high-volatility releases chase, but it was never trying to. The sticky wilds during free spins create a genuinely engaging feature round where your fortunes can shift quickly as the reels fill up, and the 96.3% RTP sits right around the industry average.

If you enjoy Norse-themed slots and want something that pays out regularly without dramatic dry spells, Vikings Go Wild is a well-built game that has aged better than most slots from 2015. It also serves as a natural starting point before working through the rest of the series to see how Yggdrasil evolved the formula.