Quick Stats
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Provider | Quickspin |
| Game Type | Video Slot |
| RTP | 96.57% |
| Volatility | High |
| Reels / Rows | 5 × 3 |
| Paylines | 9 Fixed |
| Min Bet | $0.10 |
| Max Bet | $100.00 |
| Max Win | 3,111x stake |
| Features | Respin Feature, Free Spins Bonus, Scatter |
| Theme | Northern Lights / Nordic Wildlife |
| Release Date | 13 February 2018 |
| Platform | Desktop & Mobile |
What Is Northern Sky?
Northern Sky is Quickspin’s tribute to the Aurora Borealis — the natural light show that paints the sky above Scandinavia in shades of pink and green. It is a straightforward pokie with two core mechanics: a respin that triggers on every win in the base game, and a free spins bonus where only the four high-paying animal symbols appear on the reels.
This game suits players who want a visually rich session with a clear, repeatable feature loop rather than a maze of bonus modes. It does not suit players who need a wild symbol to prop up their wins — there are none here — or those who expect frequent bonus triggers. On high volatility, you will grind through dry spins before the respin chains start stacking up. Budget accordingly.
RTP and Volatility
The RTP sits at 96.57%, which is above the industry average of around 95–96%. Over millions of spins, the game returns $96.57 for every $100 wagered. Your individual session will look nothing like that number — RTP is a long-run theoretical figure, not a per-session promise.
The volatility is high. The source page lists it as medium, and a handful of review sites echo that, but Quickspin’s own game page and the majority of independent sources confirm high volatility. That aligns with the actual maths: a max win of 3,111x and a hit frequency of around 19.6% puts this squarely in high-variance territory. In practical terms, on a $20 session at $0.50 per spin, expect long stretches without meaningful returns, then a burst of respin activity that can make or break your balance quickly.
Betting Range
The minimum bet is $0.10 per spin and the maximum is $100.00. That spread works for casual players and mid-stakes players, though the high volatility means you want enough runway to reach the bonus. A common rule of thumb: have at least 100x your chosen stake in your session budget before loading up a high volatility pokie. At $0.10 a spin, that is $10. At $1.00 a spin, budget $100 before you start.
Quickspin also includes autoplay (up to 1,000 spins) and a fast play mode for anyone who wants to move through sessions more quickly.
How to Play Northern Sky
- Set your bet. Use the Total Bet control at the bottom of the screen. Adjust up or down with the arrows. The range runs from $0.10 to $100.00 per spin.
- Check the paytable. Open it before you spin. Seven symbols total — four animal (high-paying), three gem (low-paying), plus the mountain Bonus Scatter. No wilds to factor in.
- Watch the Bonus meter. Three spaces sit on the left side of the screen. Scatter symbols fill them. Three collected equals the free spins bonus.
- Spin. Press the Spin button, or use Autoplay if you prefer. Wins pay left to right from the leftmost reel.
- Let the respin run. Any win locks the winning symbols and triggers a respin automatically. New symbols drop in. If they add to or complete a winning line, they lock too and the cycle repeats.
- Enter free spins. Collect three mountain Scatter symbols across your respins in a single round and you unlock 10 free spins played exclusively with the four animal symbols.
Try this: Start with a $0.20 stake and give yourself 100 spins ($20) to see how the respin mechanics feel before moving to higher bets. The feature is active constantly, so you get a real sense of the game’s rhythm quickly.
Symbols and Paytable
The paytable is lean. Seven symbols, split into two tiers.
The high-paying group consists of four Nordic animals, all rendered in geometrical crystal form. The golden stag is the top symbol — three on a payline pays 2x stake, four pays 5x, and five pays 40x. The bear pays up to 10x for five of a kind. The wolf pays up to 5x. The owl pays up to 10x for five matching symbols. Note: multiple sources disagree slightly on the owl and wolf values. The stag at 40x for five of a kind is consistent across all verified sources.
The low-paying group is three gem symbols in red, green, and blue. Three matching gems pay 0.2x stake. Five of the same gem pays between 1x and 2x stake depending on colour. These symbols are removed from the reels entirely during free spins, which is the whole point.
There is no wild symbol in Northern Sky. The mountain peak acts as the Bonus Scatter. It does not pay independently — its only job is to fill the Bonus meter.
Bonus Features
Respin Feature
Every single winning combination in the base game triggers a respin. The mechanics work like this: the symbols that formed the win lock in place, all non-winning symbols are cleared, and new symbols drop in. If any new symbol completes or extends a winning line, it locks and the game respins again. This continues until a respin produces no new winning combinations.
Critically, the game pays out for every respin, not just the final result. A chain of four respins pays four separate times. This is why the paytable’s individual symbol values understate what the game is actually capable of — the respin mechanic multiplies your opportunities on a single spin. You can also collect Scatter symbols during the respin chain, which is the primary way the bonus fills up.
Free Spins Bonus
Collect three mountain Bonus Scatter symbols in a single round — whether on the initial spin or accumulated across the respin chain — and you trigger 10 free spins. During the free spins round, only the four high-paying animal symbols appear on the reels. The three gem symbols are removed entirely. The respin feature does not activate during free spins, which means each of the 10 spins plays out as a standard spin with a premium symbol set.
The practical impact: your average win per spin during free spins is meaningfully higher than in the base game because every combination that forms comes from the top half of the paytable. Getting to free spins requires patience — three Scatters in a single round is not frequent — but when you do, the session can swing hard in your favour.
Is Northern Sky Worth Playing?
Pros:
- RTP of 96.57% is above the typical 95–96% range you see across most online pokies, giving you better theoretical value per dollar wagered.
- The respin feature is active in every win — it is not a rare feature trigger but a constant mechanic that keeps every winning spin active longer.
- Visually, this is one of Quickspin’s cleanest productions. The aurora backdrop, crystal animal symbols, and ambient soundtrack are genuinely well-executed and hold up years after release.
- Simple feature structure — two mechanics only — means there is nothing confusing to learn. Good entry point for players new to higher-volatility games.
Cons:
- No wild symbol. Every win depends entirely on matching symbols on paylines. On a 9-payline grid, that limits your opportunities compared to games with wilds that fill gaps.
- The free spins round is the main big-win vehicle, and three Scatters in a single round can take a long time to arrive. Patience is not optional on this game.
- The max win of 3,111x exists, but with no published probability figure, there is no way to know how realistic it is to hit in a real session.
- Source page lists volatility as “medium” — that is inaccurate based on Quickspin’s own description and independent data. Know what you are walking into.
Northern Sky is a well-built, honest high-volatility pokie with a solid RTP and a feature loop that rewards patience. Play it if you are comfortable with the variance, have a sensible session budget, and want something visually polished without a crowded feature set. Skip it if you need a wild symbol to stay interested or you are working with a tight session bankroll.
Responsible Gambling
Northern Sky uses a certified Random Number Generator (RNG). Every spin is independent — past results have no effect on future outcomes. No strategy or pattern changes what happens next. Set a session budget before you play and stick to it. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, contact your local responsible gambling support service for free, confidential help.