Narcos slot review

Narcos slot: what you're playing

Narcos is a crime-drama slot from NetEnt, the Stockholm studio founded in 1996 and owned by Evolution since December 2020. NetEnt's back catalogue includes Starburst and Gonzo's Quest; Narcos arrived in 2019.

The grid is a standard 5×3 using 243 ways to win, so matching symbols pay on adjacent reels from the left without fixed lines. The interest comes from how many features overlap: a wild can keep moving across several spins, a random event can add wilds, and a respin round runs on cash values.

How the features work in Narcos

Narcos has four features. Casinos.com's Narcos guide (opens in a new tab) lists the same set; this is how we'd explain each one.

Walking wilds

When a wild forms part of a win, it becomes a walking wild. On each following spin, it moves one reel to the left, giving it another chance to join a win in its new position. Once it walks off the first reel, it's gone.

Drive-By

Drive-By is a random feature in the base game. When it triggers, high-paying symbols on the reels are turned into extra wilds, which can create or improve wins on that spin. You can't trigger it on purpose; it happens at random.

Locked Up

Three or more Escobar symbols start Locked Up, a respin round. It begins with three respins. Each time a new Escobar or wild symbol lands, the count goes back to three. When the respins finally run out, the values on the collected symbols are paid.

Free spins

In the free spins round, character symbols can become extra walking wilds, and spins are added while wilds remain on the reels. So a wild that lands early can keep the round going as it walks across the grid.

The scatter symbol and the exact number of free spins awarded aren't covered by the specifications we verified. Check the game's help screen in your app for the full rules.

Locked Up step by step

Locked Up is a hold-and-respin feature, the same family as the hold and win mechanic you'll see in many slots. Here's the order of play.

1. Three or more Escobar symbols land in one spin, and Locked Up begins.
2. You get three respins to land more symbols.
3. Any new Escobar or wild that lands resets the count to three.
4. Respins continue until three in a row pass with nothing new landing.
5. The values on the collected symbols are added up and paid.

Respins inside a feature are part of the same paid game cycle, so they don't cost an extra stake. For that reason, the whole Locked Up round counts against the single stake that triggered it.

Narcos RTP and a £20 budget in pounds and minutes

With a 96.23% default RTP, the house edge is 3.77%: the long-run average cost is stake × spins × 3.77%. Because UK rules require at least 2.5 seconds per spin, we can also show the shortest time a £20 budget could last if nothing came back.

In reality, wins come back and are usually re-staked, so sessions last longer. But the table shows how quickly a higher stake can use up a fixed budget. Medium volatility means fewer extreme swings than high-volatility slots, not that losses are unlikely.

The 1,506× top prize in pounds

Narcos' maximum win is modest by modern standards: £150.60 at 10p, £753 at 50p, £1,506 at £1 and £7,530 at the £5 cap. A lower ceiling usually goes with a game that spreads its returns across more frequent smaller wins, which fits the medium volatility rating.

Narcos on your phone: practical points

Walking wilds are easy to track on a 5×3 grid because there are only five columns to watch. On a phone, that keeps Narcos readable in a way larger grids aren't. The game plays inside whichever casino app or mobile site offers it.

Whether it runs in portrait or landscape depends on the casino's build, so try both. Narcos doesn't need a separate install, and slots generally use less data than streamed live casino; see our guide to casino app data usage.

• Search the casino app's lobby for 'Narcos'; availability varies by app.
• Check the RTP in the game's info screen, since 96.23% is the default figure.
• If your signal drops mid-spin, read what happens if you lose signal during a spin.
• Turn off casino push notifications if they prompt you to play more; our notifications guide shows how.

Narcos and UK slot rules

The same Gambling Commission rules cover Narcos in every licensed UK app. The design rules, set out in the Commission's summary of RTS changes (opens in a new tab), took effect on 31 October 2021. The stake caps are in its online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab).

The rules and return information must be available before you play, under RTS 3 (opens in a new tab). Feature buy-ins are not offered to British players since a Gambling Commission warning in January 2020. Our pages on UK game design rules and slot stake limits explain both in full.

Narcos slot review: the good and the not so good

Slots similar to Narcos

For another walking-wild game, ELK's Wild Toro moves its Toro wild one reel left on each respin. NetEnt's Twin Spin shares the 243-ways format, and Dead or Alive is a NetEnt 5×3 game with sticky wilds in free spins. Money Train is a good match if Locked Up is your favourite part.

Find more in our slot reviews hub or check which casino app has the best slots.

Where to play Narcos with a welcome offer

None of our partner offers is on Narcos, and we can't confirm which partner apps list it, so check the lobby. The three offers below are slot offers; all are 18+ and terms apply.

• PlayOJO: a first deposit of £10 or more gets new UK customers, excluding Northern Ireland, 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza worth 10p each; no wagering, cash winnings, and it can't be combined with other offers.
• Coral: deposit and bet £10+ on slots for 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each; accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days, no wagering on winnings; e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill and prepaid cards don't count.
• Ladbrokes: deposit and spend £10+ on slots for 50 free spins a day for your first 10 days (up to 500), 10p each on selected games, claimed before 23:59 each day and valid 7 days; no wagering.

Coral and Ladbrokes share LC International Limited as operator, so you may not be able to open new accounts at both. Our Coral vs Ladbrokes comparison sets out the differences.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.