Honey Rush is Play’n GO’s 2019 honeycomb slot: clusters on a hexagonal grid charge a Rush Meter that releases moving honeypot Wilds with multipliers and colonies that build clusters, up to 9,000x.
Honey Rush is Play’n GO’s 2019 honeycomb slot: clusters on a hexagonal grid charge a Rush Meter that releases moving honeypot Wilds with multipliers and colonies that build clusters, up to 9,000x.
Honey Rush looks sweet and plays sharp. Play’n GO swapped the usual reels for a honeycomb of 37 hexagonal cells, where clusters of five or more matching symbols win and new ones drop in to replace them. Every winning symbol charges the Rush Meter, and each level releases a honeypot Wild with a multiplier that crawls around the grid, plus colony features that build clusters out of nothing.
It is a game with a cheerful look and serious maths behind it. Most spins are short, but once two or three honeypots are on the grid, their multipliers combine and the payouts can climb quickly. The top prize is 9,000 times the bet, and the volatility is high.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Play’n GO |
| Release | 31 October 2019 |
| Layout | Hexagonal grid of 37 cells, clusters of 5 or more |
| RTP | 96.50% (lower versions exist) |
| Volatility | High |
| Bet range | €0.20 to €100 per spin |
| Max win | 9,000x the bet |
| Features | Rush Meter, Sticky honeypot Wilds with x1 to x3, Worker, Drone and Queen Colonies |
The grid is shaped like a honeycomb, seven columns of hexagons rising from four cells at the edges to seven in the middle. The look is bright and summery, with gems, flowers and coins as the symbols and honeypots as the Wilds. The soundtrack is light and upbeat, and the whole presentation is designed to feel relaxed.
The hexagonal shape changes how clusters form. Each cell can touch up to six neighbours instead of four, so groups can spread in more directions. Clusters can take any shape: all that matters is that each symbol touches at least one other symbol of the same kind. Separate groups of the same symbol pay as separate clusters.
Winning symbols disappear, the ones above fall into the gaps, and new symbols fill the grid. The cascade continues as long as new clusters form, all within the same paid spin.
The paytable is heavily weighted towards big clusters. The top premium symbol pays the stake back for a five-symbol cluster, 15 times the bet for 15 or more, and 200 times for 35 or more. The low symbols pay a tenth of the bet for five and 20 times for 35 or more. In practice, small clusters keep the spin going while the big ones, usually built with help from the features, deliver the real payouts.
Every winning symbol adds one point to the Rush Meter. A cluster of six fills it by six, a cluster of ten by ten, and so on. The meter has four levels:
Features earned on the meter are placed in a queue and only used when the cascades run out of wins. The round then continues as normal. The meter resets at the end of each paid spin, so everything has to happen in one round.
The thresholds are worth a closer look. Level one needs 20 winning symbols, level two needs 40, level three 80 and level four 160. Each step doubles the total, so reaching the next level always takes as many winning symbols as all the previous levels combined. Twenty symbols can come from three or four modest clusters. One hundred and sixty need a long, productive chain, usually with honeypots and Drone Colonies doing much of the work.
The features help each other here. Each honeypot makes clusters bigger and more frequent, and each Drone Colony creates a cluster that also counts towards the meter. A round that reaches level two quickly has a real chance of carrying on, while a round that stalls at 15 symbols simply ends. It is a design that turns a good start into a better one, which is exactly why the outcomes are so uneven.
The placement of the honeypots also matters. Because they appear on the second ring from the outside rather than in the centre, they start away from where colonies build. As they move after each win, they can drift into busier parts of the grid, and a honeypot sitting near the middle when a colony fires stays Wild and can become part of the new cluster.
The honeypots are the heart of the game. Each one is a sticky Wild that substitutes for all symbols and carries a random multiplier of x1, x2 or x3. The game always places them on the second ring of cells from the outside. When a honeypot is part of a winning cluster, it moves once to an empty neighbouring cell before new symbols fall, so it can travel around the grid and join cascade after cascade.
Up to three honeypots can be on the grid, and their multipliers combine. Play’n GO’s own example: a cluster with two x3 honeypots is multiplied by nine. A cluster containing three x3 honeypots is multiplied by 27. That is where the game’s big results come from. A ten-symbol cluster of the top premium pays four times the bet on its own, but twelve times with one x3 honeypot and 36 times with two.
Colony features take the symbol in the very centre of the grid and turn the symbols around it into copies, creating a new winning cluster. The centre symbol can never be a honeypot. There are three kinds:
Colonies work best with honeypots on the board. A Queen Colony that sweeps over two honeypots with multipliers is the kind of event that produces the game’s largest wins.
Picture a spin that opens with a seven-symbol cluster and two smaller ones in the cascade. The meter passes 20, and a honeypot with x2 is queued along with a Drone Colony. When the cascades stop, the Drone builds a cluster from the centre, the honeypot joins a win and moves, and more clusters form. The meter passes 40. A second honeypot, this time x3, arrives. Now every cluster that touches both pays six times its value.
Most spins never reach the first level. Many end after one small cluster or none at all, and a Worker Colony may soften a blank spin. Reaching level three or four in the same spin is rare, which is why the game’s volatility is high despite its friendly appearance.
The default RTP is 96.50%. Play’n GO also offers versions at 94.50%, 91.50%, 87.50% and 84.50% that casinos can choose, so check the game’s help screen before playing. Our guide to slot RTP explains why the version matters.
Play’n GO’s documents rate the volatility as high. The pattern is clear in play: frequent small clusters, many spins below the stake, and occasional rounds where combined multipliers push the payout far higher. The maximum win is 9,000 times the bet. Our guide to high-volatility slots has more on managing this kind of game.
Bets run from €0.20 to €100 per spin.
Honey Rush is Play’n GO’s take on the cluster grid, and it sits comfortably alongside the studio’s other famous grid games. Reactoonz 2 uses a square 7×7 grid with two meters and a giant splitting Wild, and is busier per spin. Gemix charges crystals across three worlds of effects. Honey Rush feels simpler than both, but its moving, multiplying honeypots give it a higher ceiling than many rivals.
If you enjoy colourful tumbling slots in general, Sweet Bonanza offers a different route to multipliers through its free spins. More games from the studio are on our Play’n GO page.
What works:
What doesn’t:
Honey Rush hides a high-volatility engine under a bright, friendly look. The Rush Meter gives every spin a goal, the honeypots make the middle levels genuinely exciting, and a Queen Colony with multipliers on the board is one of the more satisfying moments in Play’n GO’s catalogue. It asks for patience and a budget that can absorb dry spells. If you have both, it is a sweet choice.
Play only if you are 18+. Keep your play within limits and see our responsible gambling page for support.