What are Sticky Wilds in slots?

A normal Wild helps complete winning combinations, then disappears when the result is over. A Sticky Wild stays in the same position for another evaluation, whether that’s a new spin, a respin or the next step of a feature.

It’s the online version of the hold button on a pub fruit machine, with one difference: on a fruit machine you pressed HOLD yourself. A Sticky Wild just sticks.

Sticky tells you the Wild stays put, not for how long. Nor does it promise a multiplier or an expanding reel. Those can come with it, but they aren’t what makes a Wild sticky.

How do Sticky Wilds work?

The basic sequence is simple. A Wild lands or is created, the game holds its position, and it’s still there when a later spin, respin or feature step is evaluated. Eventually the game’s own rules clear it.

Pick any two games to compare what stays in place and how long it lasts.

How long can a Sticky Wild stay?

There’s no standard timer.

Rhythm Nights gives the short version. During Free Games, an Expanding Wild stays for exactly one more spin, keeping its multiplier value.

The Dog House goes for the whole feature. A qualifying Wild that lands on reels 2, 3 or 4 during Free Spins stays locked for the rest of the feature, along with the x2 or x3 multiplier it got when it landed, and more qualifying Wilds can join it.

Dead or Alive was a huge game when it came out, and it stretches persistence further still. If its Free Spins retrigger, the Wilds already stuck stay in place through the extra spins too.

Then a win comes into it, in opposite directions. Thor’s Rage 2‘s Keeper Wild can stay across later spins or steps until it takes part in a win; there’s no fixed timer, and the win is what ends it. In NetEnt’s Spice, a Locked Wild that’s part of a win stays on the reels while the other winning symbols clear, and remains active through later Avalanche steps in the same round.

Where can Sticky Wilds appear?

Free Spins are the most common home for them. The Dog House, Dead or Alive, Rhythm Nights and 2 Wild 2 Die all use persistence during Free Spins or a Free Spins-style bonus. But the idea also works in respins and cascades.

In Play’n GO’s Sticky Joker, Joker Wilds are held across a respin sequence, and any new Wilds that land are held too, so the held positions build up until the sequence ends. Spice does it within a single round’s Avalanche sequence.

So a Sticky Wild isn’t necessarily waiting for another ordinary spin. It may be waiting for the next part of a single, longer sequence.

What about Wilds that move?

A Sticky Wild holds a position. A moving Wild may survive into later play while changing position, and that’s a second behaviour on top of persistence.

Battle The Beast fills one reel with Wilds during Free Games and keeps it that way until a duel moves it. In MONOPOLY Money Line, Wild-bearing train carts stay part of the Walking Wild respin sequence as the train advances. They keep a Wild in play, but because it moves, they’re not Sticky Wilds in the ordinary sense.

Sticky Wilds with multipliers

It’s easy to confuse the Wild staying put with the number written on it. They’re separate rules.

In The Dog House, a Wild that becomes sticky during Free Spins keeps the randomly assigned x2 or x3 it landed with. Stickiness decides where the Wild stays; the multiplier rules, covered in the Multiplier Slots guide, decide what it does to a win.

2 Wild 2 Die goes a step further. During Shootin’ Wild, Multiplier Wilds stay on the grid until the feature ends, while a separate rule lets repeated Silver Revolver hits add a random multiplier to a Wild. The symbol stays in place while another mechanic changes its value.

For multipliers that grow, see Increasing Multipliers.

Sticky Wilds vs Expanding Wilds

Expanding tells you how much space a Wild takes up. Sticky tells you whether it stays there for later play. A game can do both.

Starburst is the familiar example. When a Wild expands, its reel is held while the other reels respin, and a second Wild can expand and be held too. The hold lasts until the respin sequence ends, which is up to three respins. The expansion doesn’t make it sticky; a separate respin rule holds the reel.

The Expanding Symbols guide covers the spatial side in more detail.

Sticky Wild examples compared

How long Sticky Wilds last in games I’ve checked

Game	When it’s used	How long it stays	What releases it
Rhythm Nights	Free Games	One more spin, keeping its multiplier	The end of that one extra spin
The Dog House	Free Spins	Rest of Free Spins, keeping its x2 or x3	The end of the feature
Dead or Alive	Free Spins	Rest of Free Spins, including retriggers	The end of the feature
Thor’s Rage 2	Keeper Wild (game mode not stated in my sources)	Across later spins or steps	Taking part in a win
Sticky Joker	Respin sequence	The rest of the sequence; new Wilds join	The respin sequence ending
Spice	Avalanche sequence	Later Avalanche steps in the current round; kept because it was part of a win	The round’s Avalanche sequence ending

Stickiness alone doesn’t establish RTP, volatility, bonus frequency or how often the Wild appears. Those questions need evidence about the particular game.

Related slot mechanics

Sticky Wilds often turn up inside another feature or alongside another symbol behaviour. Each of these changes something different.