Carnival Queen 2 Slot Review: Rules, Features and RTP

Carnival Queen 2 game artwork by Thunderkick

Carnival Queen 2 brings its street festival back on a changing six-reel board. Reel height can vary, an Exploding Wild can increase the space on its own reel, and Avalanche wins advance a multiplier. The bonus preserves both height and multiplier between spins. That persistence is the sequel’s central distinction: progress that would otherwise belong to one sequence can remain relevant after the next spin begins.

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Carnival Queen 2 at a glance

Provider	Thunderkick
Genre / theme	Christmas & Holidays
Game type	Video slot
Reels / grid	6 reels with variable heights from 2 to 7 symbols
Reference RTP	94.18%
Volatility	High
Payout mechanic	5,040 to 117,649 pay ways
Maximum win	25000 the bet
Release date	27 August 2025
Main features	Random reel heights; Avalanche wins raise a multiplier by 1x; Exploding Wilds clear symbols and expand their reel; three Scatters open twelve Free Spins with persistence.

RTP and stake limits can vary by version and market. Check the information screen in the game you open. Maximum win is a ceiling, not an expected result.

Reel heights and Avalanche wins change different things

Each of the six reels can vary in height from two to seven symbols. Thunderkick publishes a range of 5,040 to 117,649 pay ways for the game. These are reported game limits, not a claim that any independently chosen combination of reel heights must appear. The upper number describes the largest supported arrangement rather than a permanent count attached to the smallest visible board.

Avalanche replaces symbols from winning combinations, giving the new arrangement another evaluation. Each Avalanche win increases the multiplier by 1x. A larger grid and a larger multiplier have different roles: one changes available positions and combinations, while the other changes the value applied to wins. Neither guarantees the other. A replacement sequence can stop when no further winning combination forms, regardless of how attractive the current layout looks.

Exploding Wilds clear space and enlarge their own reel

An Exploding Wild removes all symbols vertically on its reel and one random symbol from every other reel. It also increases the height of its own reel. The effect therefore changes several parts of the arrangement at once, but the structural expansion is attached to the Wild’s reel rather than every reel receiving an extra row. Its return is relevant in both the base game and the bonus.

This gives the Wild an influence beyond normal substitution. Clearing can introduce new icons, while a taller reel can supply more positions for a later evaluation. However, removing a random symbol from another reel does not let the player choose which gap is filled. The modifier creates opportunities for changed combinations, not a known cascade length or a guaranteed number of winning replacements.

Free Spins preserve height and multiplier

Three Scatters award twelve Free Spins. During that feature, the height of each reel and the multiplier do not reset between spins. An expanded reel can therefore remain expanded, and multiplier progress already earned through Avalanche wins remains available to later results. The official short description also lists retriggers, but the detailed release does not establish their exact allocation, so a fixed extension schedule is not assumed.

The multiplier is described as able to increase indefinitely while combinations keep landing. That growth rule does not remove the separate overall win ceiling: the launch announcement states 25,000x potential. The current public card gives 94.18% RTP and high volatility. Persistent progress is a structural advantage over restarting the feature state, but it cannot guarantee another win to use that progress before the remaining spins end.

Strengths and weak points

Strengths

Bonus persistence retains two different kinds of progress: reel height and the Avalanche multiplier. Exploding Wilds contribute to both immediate clearing and the space available for later evaluations.

Weaknesses

Persistent height and multiplier still need new winning combinations. The exact retrigger allocation is not stated, and unlimited multiplier growth does not remove the separate overall win ceiling.

Our Editor’s View

Carnival Queen 2 makes its festival theme serve a recognisable mechanical build-up. Reels grow, symbols clear and Avalanche wins increase a multiplier, with Free Spins allowing those changes to outlast one spin. Its strongest interaction is carrying both structural and numerical progress together. The limitation is that keeping progress is useful only when later symbols produce qualifying combinations, and the largest ways count is a maximum arrangement rather than a constant promise. It suits readers who like watching a bonus board develop over time while keeping expansion, multiplication and the final payout limit separate.