Starburst is not just a popular pokie with NZ players but it is arguably the most popular video pokie with players from around the world. Before we get into details as to what makes Starburst one of the most popular pokies of all time, let’s take a closer look at the game developer behind this pokie.
Who is the developer behind Starburst?
NetEnt is a Swedish-based gaming developer that launched operations in 1996 and is now considered one of the most respected and oldest gaming developers in the world. NetEnt released Starburst in 2012 and within a short period of time realized that they were going to have a hit pokie with Starburst.
When NetEnt came out with Starburst in 2012, it had over 100+ pokies in its game collection which players from around the world enjoyed. Now that Starburst has been around for over 10+ years and NetEnt has a portfolio of more than 400+ pokies, it is safe to say that Starburst is still one of the top 5 pokies in its gaming portfolio.
NetEnt along with Microgaming are one of the most respected gaming brands in the industry and NZ players are always keen on trying out new games from these reputed vendors. This is one big reason why Starburst continues to be popular as it was developed by one of the most recognized gaming vendors.
NetEnt has now partnered with over 200+ gaming clients globally and just about all of them offer Starburst in their gaming portfolio, making this pokie accessible to players around the world.
Starburst – Classic Pokie Vibes
Starburst is one of those pokies that keeps things simple with its graphics, theme and overall gameplay. NetEnt did not try to experiment too much with this pokie and developed it around a classical theme.
Starburst has a very simple design and does not go over the top with its graphics, colour combinations or special symbols. The designers have used an outer space theme, hence the name Starburst but that’s all there is to it when it comes to outer space. While the graphics are simple, it is still top-notch and appealing.
The game is built on a 5x3 grid and you get a maximum of 10 paylines to see if you can get a winning payout as you spin the reels and try and unfold this cosmic mystery called Starburst. The symbols in this game come in the form of different coloured gemstones, Lucky 7s and bars.
While you spin the reels on this pokie, a retro soundtrack plays in the background that builds the anticipation of the player to see if they will win or have to spin the reels again.
Starburst– Special Features
Many gaming developers today are looking to load their new pokies with multiple special features to excite players and keep them coming back for more. Given Starburst’s popularity for the last decade, you would think that this pokie has some outstanding special features included but that’s not the case at all.
Starburst does not have any outstanding special features that we can write about and that includes no Free Spins. Yes, you read that right this pokie does not offer free spins which is a mandatory special feature that most players look for these days.
When it comes to additional features, this is what you will find in Starburst. The first feature that we must highlight is the win both ways feature that practically changes the paylines from the default 10 to 20.
Most pokies allow you to collect wins from left to right but due to the win both ways tech in Starburst, players can form winning combinations from left to right and also from right to left.
You don’t have free spins but you will find expanding wilds and respins on offer in this pokie which essentially makes up for the absence of free spins. A lot of the excitement is centred around triggering the Wild feature which can pop up on reels 2, 3 and 4. When the Wild symbol appears, it will expand to cover the entire reel and on doing so, trigger the respins feature.
If you use the respin and end up getting another Wild symbol, the process takes place all over again and you collect another respin. When the respin feature is at play, you stand to win the highest payout available in this pokie!
NZ players who don’t want to spin the reels manually, can make use of the auto spin feature, set their betting range and number of auto spins and just sit and watch how things unfold.
Starburst– Payout Structure
Before we get into the payout structure, let’s look at the betting range available to Kiwis. Players in NZ will be able to start from a min bet of $0.10 and go up to a max bet of $100 per spin. This huge betting range is yet another reason why this pokie appeals to players with different bankrolls.
Based on its game mechanics and payout structure, Starburst is classified as a low volatility pokie which means that the frequency of payouts is a lot higher but on the flipside the max win that you can walk away with it limited to $5,000. When it comes to the Return to Player (RTP) percentage, the general RTP consensus is that Starburst pays at 96.10% which is just above the industry average of 96%.
Here is a table of the payouts that you can expect when you land 3 or more of these symbols. The more symbols you land the higher your potential payout:
| Symbols | Payouts |
|---|---|
| Bar | You get 5x, 20x, or 25x |
| Lucky 7 | You get 2.5x, 6x, or 12x |
| Yellow Gem | You get 1x, 2.5x, or 6x |
| Green Gem | You get 0.8x, 2x, or 5x |
| Red Gem | You get 0.7x, 1.5x, or 4x |
| Blue Gem | You get 0.5x, 1x, or 2.5x |
| Purple Gem | You get 0.5x, 1x, or 2.5x |
As you can see from this paytable, the lowest paying symbols are the Blue and Purple gemstones while the highest paying symbol is the Bar.
Is Starburst a mobile-friendly pokie?
Many young NZ players wonder whether Starburst is mobile-friendly. NetEnt has optimized it for mobile play and makes it compatible with all Android and Apple devices.
Some NZ online casinos will have a mobile casino app and you will be able to play Starburst directly from their casino app. However, there are many NZ-friendly casinos that do not have a dedicated mobile casino app, but they will still allow you to access and play Starburst on the go using your mobile browser.
In short, you should have no problems playing Starburst from your smartphone or tablet as it is a mobile friendly pokie!
Starburst – Pros and Cons
We ended up playing Starburst over the course of a week at multiple NZ friendly online casinos to determine what were the pros and cons of playing Starburst. We put together a list of pros and cons to help you decide if you want to try out Starburst today or give it a pass!
check iconPros
- Developed by NetEnt
- Continues to be popular even after 10 years
- Big betting range
- Win both ways feature
- Good RTP of 96.10%
- Available at most NZ online casinos
check iconCons
- No free spins
- Max payout $5,000
Starburst – No deposit and Match Deposit bonuses
Since Starburst continues to be one of the most popular pokies in the NZ market, you will find that many NZ facing online casinos offer a welcome bonus that players can use to play Starburst. These NZ friendly casinos offer welcome bonuses in the form of no deposit bonuses or match deposit bonuses.
A no deposit bonus will allow you to collect free spins without making a real money deposit of your own and you can use these free spins to play Starburst. A match deposit bonus will require you to make a real money deposit and the casino will then either offer you a combination of bonus cash and free spins that you can use to play Starburst.
Do note that some casinos offer these welcome bonuses exclusively on Starburst while others will allow you to use the bonus free spins to play all the pokies on offer.
Starburst – Free to Play and Real Money Options
Most NZ online casinos give Kiwis the option to test out Starburst in demo or free to play mode. If you have never played Starburst before, this is an option you can consider as it allows you to check out the game for free without making any real money bets. When you play in demo mode, you cannot win any real money payouts.
Once you get to see how the game works, you can then decide if you really like it and want to switch over to real money mode, make a bet and see if you get lucky and win real money.
Where can NZ players find Starburst?
NZ players will need to look for an online casino that has partnered with NetEnt to play Starburst. Fortunately, that is not a difficult task, as most NZ-friendly online casinos have partnered with NetEnt and carry Starburst. We have put together a list of NZ-friendly online casinos that you can click on, register an account, collect your welcome bonus, and start playing Starburst.
Are there any similar pokies like Starburst?
Given the massive success that NetEnt continues to have with Starburst, game developers from around the world have tried hard to come out with Starburst clones to see if they could replicate the same success but have come up short.
There are many different pokies that have a classic vibe and simple gameplay but for some reason cannot capture the attention of players like Starburst. Now there are a few popular pokies that have stood the test of time but don’t have the Starburst vibe to it. If you are looking for popular and exciting pokies to play we suggest trying out pokies like Gonzo’s Quest, Mega Moolah, Star Clusters Megapays, Sisters of Oz Jackpots and Lucky Clucks.
Starburst – Conclusion
We highly recommend Starburst to our NZ players, as it is hard to go wrong with one of the most popular pokies in the world. There are more pros to cons than playing Starburst and NZ players can make use of their welcome bonus to play Starburst and see if you get lucky.
While you cannot win a huge jackpot playing Starburst, you can win smaller payouts more frequently. You could also get lucky and win the $5,000 max payout which is still a decent sum for most Kiwi players!
Since Starburst is offered by most NZ-friendly casinos, you can sign up today and play one of the most popular pokies of all time!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it possible for NZ players to play Starburst for real money? Yes, there are many NZ-friendly casinos that allow you to register and play real-money pokies. When you sign up at a NZ-friendly casino, check to see if they have partnered with NetEnt, or you can also directly search for Starburst.
- Can I use my welcome bonus to play Starburst? This will depend on which online casino you register at. Some NZ online casinos allow you to use your welcome bonus and free spins on all pokies, but some restrict the welcome bonus to exclusive pokies. You need to make sure you can use your welcome bonus on Starburst.
- Can I use crypto to play Starburst in New Zealand? Yes, but you will need to look for an online casino in NZ that allows you to deposit and withdraw funds with cryptocurrencies.
- What is the min bet that I must pay to play Starburst? The min bet to play Starburst at online casinos in NZ is $0.10 and the max is $100.
- Can you recommend other popular pokies like Starburst? Some of the other popular pokies that NZ players will enjoy are Mega Moolah, Guns’N Roses, Gonzo’s Quest and Sisters of Oz Jackpots.