Money Train 5 brings Relax Gaming’s flagship series back for another journey, despite Money Train 4 originally being positioned as the end of the line. This time, the train returns to a devastated Earth, combining the franchise’s familiar post-apocalyptic characters with an extensively redesigned bonus system built around Tickets, Stations and an evolving grid.
Developed and distributed by Relax Gaming, Money Train 5 is played initially on a 5×4 grid with 40 fixed paylines. The base game introduces the Nuclear Wild feature, but the centrepiece is once again the bonus round, where special symbols interact across a Hold & Win-style grid.
The major change is progression. Ticket Symbols physically move the bonus grid as the train travels through a series of Stations. Reaching different milestones unlocks persistent symbols, an additional row, new characters and eventually the Permanent Payer.
There are also two mathematical modes. Standard Mode has a maximum win of 50,000x the stake, while Ultra Mode doubles the maximum payout to 100,000x. Relax Gaming itself confirms those two ceilings, making 100,000x the overall maximum win for Money Train 5.
Money Train 5 begins on five reels and four rows, with winning combinations formed across 40 fixed paylines. Matching symbols must land on consecutive reels from left to right.
Four playing-card suits make up the lower-paying symbols, while four post-apocalyptic characters provide the more valuable regular symbols. Wilds substitute for regular paying symbols.
The betting range in Standard Mode runs from 0.10 to 20 per spin. Ultra Mode retains the 0.10 minimum but reduces the maximum stake to 10 per spin.
Although the underlying reel system is conventional, Relax Gaming has attempted to address one of the criticisms sometimes levelled at previous Money Train releases: that most of the interesting gameplay was concentrated in the bonus.
The new Nuclear Wild can activate randomly during the base game. Crosshairs target positions on the reels and plant Nuclear Bombs. When the bombs form part of a winning combination, they detonate and transform the affected reels into full Wild Reels.
Three or more Bonus Symbols trigger the main Free Spins round, where Money Train 5 becomes considerably more complex.
Money Train 5 has a standard RTP of 96.10%.
Alternative configurations of 94%, 92%, 90% and 86% also exist, making the casino’s selected version particularly important. Players should check the game’s information screen rather than assuming that every casino offers the 96.10% configuration.
The hit frequency is 19.57%, while Relax Gaming has given Money Train 5 the extremely high-volatility profile traditionally associated with the series.
Maximum payout depends on the selected mode.
In Standard Mode, the maximum win is 50,000x the stake.
Switching to Ultra Mode changes the mathematical model and increases the maximum to 100,000x. Relax Gaming has specifically explained that the characters, progression and core mechanics remain the same; Ultra instead provides a more extreme mathematical profile and higher payout ceiling.
Therefore, for Jackpot.win purposes, 100,000x should be recorded as the maximum win, with 50,000x noted as the Standard Mode limit.
Money Train 5 returns the franchise to the wasteland. The train travels through a ruined Earth beneath polluted skies, surrounded by industrial wreckage and a cast of hardened survivors. It is unmistakably part of the Money Train universe, but the fifth instalment moves away from simply reproducing the Western and steampunk environments of its predecessors.
The presentation also has a functional purpose. During Free Spins, the train’s movement through the Stations is represented directly through the changing grid. Tickets push the reels towards the left as new territory appears on the right, giving the feature a genuine sense of travelling somewhere rather than merely filling a static Hold & Win board.
Reaching milestones changes what can happen. The grid becomes larger, additional characters become available and persistent mechanics are introduced. Consequently, a bonus that survives long enough can look and behave substantially differently from the way it did at Station 0.
That progression is one of Money Train 5’s biggest improvements. The objective is no longer solely to land valuable special symbols before the respins expire; keeping the train moving is itself a major part of building the feature.
Landing three or more Bonus Symbols triggers the main Free Spins feature.
The bonus starts at Station 0 with three spins remaining. Each new qualifying symbol resets the counter to three, retaining the familiar Hold & Win structure that has defined previous Money Train games.
The major addition is the Ticket system.
Ticket Symbols move the train forward by shifting the grid towards the left. Depending on the Ticket, the grid can travel multiple steps. Existing columns move left, columns reaching the edge disappear and fresh empty positions enter from the right.
This creates an unusual trade-off. Moving forward is essential because reaching later Stations unlocks stronger mechanics. At the same time, a valuable persistent symbol can eventually be pushed off the left side of the grid. Its accumulated value is paid when it leaves, but its continuing special effect is lost. Four major Station milestones transform the feature.
At Station 5, Persistent Symbols become available.
At Station 10, an additional row is unlocked, expanding the bonus grid from 5×4 to 5×5.
At Station 15, the Bomber and Pyromancer become available.
Finally, reaching Station 20 unlocks and activates the Permanent Payer.
This progression means the strongest version of the Money Train 5 bonus has to be built during play rather than simply appearing fully formed from the opening spin.
The Nuclear Wild provides the principal base-game feature. Crosshairs can randomly target positions and plant bombs. If the resulting bombs contribute to a winning combination, they explode and create full Wild Reels.
Once Free Spins begin, Money Train 5 introduces a substantial collection of special symbols.
Ticket Symbols move the grid and advance Station progression, unlocking increasingly powerful mechanics as the feature continues.
The familiar Payer adds its value to other applicable symbols on the grid, while the Sniper targets symbols and increases their values.
The Collector gathers values from applicable symbols, while the Necromancer can revive symbols that have previously disappeared from play.
The Absorber removes regular value symbols and absorbs their values, potentially creating a significantly larger single symbol.
Money Train 5 also introduces characters including the Bomber and Pyromancer, which become available after reaching Station 15 and add further destructive and enhancement mechanics to the feature.
Persistent versions of special symbols become possible once Station 5 has been reached. Rather than performing their action once and disappearing, these characters can remain active and repeatedly influence subsequent spins.
The Permanent Payer, unlocked at Station 20, represents the final progression milestone and remains active once introduced.
Money Train 5 also contains several optional enhanced modes where permitted.
Enhanced Spins improve the probability of reaching the bonus mechanics.
Bonus Reels cost 10x the stake, while Ultra Bonus Reels cost 25x. These special spins remove ordinary paying symbols, leaving the reels focused on the possibility of producing Bonus Symbols.
The standard Bonus Buy costs 100x the stake and provides direct entry to the Free Spins round.
An Ultra Bonus provides the corresponding entry using Ultra Mode.
More powerful Super Bonus options begin the feature at Station 15, bypassing much of the early progression and immediately making the stronger characters available.
At the extreme end, Ultra Super Free Spins cost 2,000x the stake, combining the advanced starting position with Ultra Mode’s higher mathematical ceiling. Availability of all enhanced modes depends on the casino and jurisdiction.
Pros
Cons
Money Train 5 does more than simply put another number on Relax Gaming’s most famous franchise.
The familiar foundations remain. There is a 5×4 grid, 40 paylines, extremely high volatility and a feature-heavy bonus populated by special characters. However, the new Ticket and Station mechanics fundamentally change how that bonus develops.
Instead of remaining on one static grid, the train moves. Tickets shift columns across the screen, potentially removing valuable symbols while simultaneously moving the feature towards increasingly powerful Station unlocks.
Station 5 introduces Persistent Symbols, Station 10 expands the grid, Station 15 releases the Bomber and Pyromancer, and Station 20 brings the Permanent Payer into play. The longer the feature survives, the more sophisticated it becomes.
The Nuclear Wild also gives the base game something substantial of its own, addressing one of the weaker aspects of earlier entries in the series.
Then there is Ultra Mode. Standard play carries an already substantial 50,000x maximum win, but Ultra increases the ceiling to 100,000x the stake while retaining the same central characters and progression system.
With a 96.10% standard RTP, 19.57% hit frequency, extremely high volatility and an overall 100,000x maximum win, Money Train 5 remains unmistakably Money Train. The difference is that this time the journey itself matters almost as much as the special symbols riding aboard it.