5 Dragons pokies are a fixture on Aussie club floors and in casinos right across Asia, and Aristocrat itself calls the game the original dragon slot. The appeal is easy to see. It plays 243 ways using Aristocrat's Reel Power system, it looks the part with gold coins and red envelopes, and when the feature lands you choose which of five dragons you want to ride.
That choice is the heart of the game. Each dragon is a different deal: lots of free games with small multipliers, or only a few free games with big ones. Below we explain how Aristocrat 5 Dragons works, what each dragon offers, how Reel Power changes your bet, and where you can try it free.
How 5 Dragons pokies play
5 Dragons uses five reels with three rows and Reel Power rather than fixed paylines. With Reel Power you buy reels, not lines. Pay for all five reels and every matching symbol on adjacent reels from the left counts, which works out to 243 ways (3×3×3×3×3). On early Reel Power games such as Indian Dreaming, buying all five reels cost 25 credits, multiplied by your bet per credit, and 5 Dragons follows the same idea. The bet buttons on your machine show the exact cost.
The wild is a dragon symbol that lands on the middle three reels and substitutes for everything except the scatter. Gold coin scatters pay on their own and trigger the free games when three or more land.
Aristocrat also describes an extra 5-credit ante bet on its official page. Play it and you receive 5 extra free games whenever the feature triggers. It costs more per spin, so only switch it on if you know you are happy with the higher bet. Our Reel Power explainer goes deeper on how ways and reel bets work.
The 5 Dragons free games choice
When three or more coin scatters land, you pick a dragon. Aristocrat markets this as Choose Your Volatility, and it is exactly that. The commonly reported options are:
| Option | Free games | Wild multipliers |
|---|---|---|
| First dragon | 20 | 2×, 3× or 5× |
| Second dragon | 15 | 3×, 5× or 8× |
| Third dragon | 10 | 5×, 8× or 10× |
| Fourth dragon | 8 | 8×, 10× or 15× |
| Fifth dragon | 5 | 10×, 15× or 30× |
During free games, any win that uses a wild is multiplied by one of the values for your chosen dragon. Red envelopes can also land on the outer reels during the feature and award a bonus prize multiplied by your bet. Colours and exact values can differ slightly between versions, so check the help screens on the machine or app you are using.
How to think about the choice: the 20-game option gives you the most spins and the steadiest result. The 5-game option is all or nothing, because without a wild you can finish with very little. Over time no dragon is better than another. Pick the one that matches how long you want the fun to last.
Symbols and pays
- Dragon wild: middle reels only, substitutes for all but the scatter, and carries the multipliers in free games.
- Gold coin scatter: pays anywhere and triggers the dragon choice.
- Red envelope: a bonus prize symbol during free games.
- Picture symbols: the golden tortoise, koi fish and other good-luck icons pay the most.
- Card values: 9 to Ace fill the lower end.
Because of the 243-way layout, you can win on several combinations at once with the same symbol, which is why 5 Dragons wins often arrive in clusters.
History and trivia
The exact first-release year of the land-based 5 Dragons is hard to confirm. Machines were sold on Aristocrat's Viridian cabinets, which arrived in the second half of the 2000s, while online listings usually date the digital version to around 2011. We have marked the year as unverified rather than guess.
What is clear is that 5 Dragons became a brand. Aristocrat has since released 5 Dragons Deluxe, Gold, Grand, Rapid, Pearls and Red Edition, among others. If you like the pick-your-free-games idea, Lucky 88 uses a similar spins-versus-multipliers menu, and the classics hub lists more games from the same era.
What to expect when you play
In the base game, 243 ways means plenty of small wins, often less than your bet. The free games can arrive in streaks or go quiet for a long time. Your dragon pick shapes the feature more than anything else: low-spin options can produce standout results but also some rounds that pay almost nothing.
Return to player is set by the venue within state limits, and there is no strategy that changes the maths. Decide on a budget first and stick to it. If it stops being fun, see our play-safely page.
Where to play 5 Dragons free
We could not confirm 5 Dragons inside Heart of Vegas, Cashman Casino or Lightning Link Casino. It is, however, named in the store listing for Mighty Fu Casino, another official social casino app from Product Madness at Aristocrat. It uses virtual coins only. For other official options, see our free Aristocrat pokies page and the apps hub.
Original Aristocrat games like 5 Dragons are generally not available at online casinos, so treat any claims otherwise with suspicion.
Can't find it online?
Look for 243-ways Asian dragon pokies where you choose between more free spins or bigger wild multipliers. We explain the honest situation, and which mechanics to look for, on our can you play Aristocrat pokies online page.
If it stops being fun, read our play-safely page.
