Sweet Bonanza Xmas was announced by Pragmatic Play on 28 November 2019, only five months after the original game. It is a seasonal edition: the candy and fruit symbols are replaced by a Christmas look, with festive music and decoration, while the rules of the game stay the same.
What stays the same
- The grid and pays. A 6×5 grid with scatter pays: eight or more matching symbols anywhere pay, and tumbles remove winning symbols.
- Free spins. Four or more scatters award 10 free spins, and three or more scatters during the feature add five more.
- Multiplier bombs. Bombs of 2× to 100× appear in free spins and are added together at the end of a tumble sequence.
- RTP and win cap. The provider’s page lists an RTP of 96.48%, the same as the original, and the maximum win is given as 21,175× the stake. One review site lists 96.51%, so check the figure in the game itself.
What is different
The visible change is the theme. Some listings show a wider stake range than the original, up to 125 against 100, but this comes from a secondary source and may vary by operator. Whether the ante bet and the bonus buy are offered in the Xmas version is not confirmed on the provider’s page, so we do not state it.
Why seasonal editions exist
Seasonal re-skins are a common way for studios to renew a successful game without changing its mathematics. For a player the practical consequence is simple: the Xmas version has the same long-run behaviour as the original, with medium-high to high volatility, so results are spread out, with long quiet stretches and occasional larger rounds. It is often easiest to find in December, when operators feature festive games.
Our Sweet Bonanza Xmas page collects what has been verified, and the versions page compares all six main releases side by side. As with any slot, the RTP in use is the one shown in the information screen at your operator.