Pirots 5 review

Pirots 5 is an ELK Studios slot that went on wide release on 23 July 2026, after an exclusive launch period. It is the fifth numbered game in the Pirots series (spin-offs also exist), and this time the parrot crew is inside an ancient Egyptian temple, chasing their former ally Captain Blackfeather. Like the earlier games it uses CollectR: instead of paylines, four coloured birds move around the grid and collect gems of their own colour, and every gem they collect adds to the win. Pirots 5 is the most feature-dense entry in the series so far, and it takes a while to learn. This review walks through how it plays, which features matter most, and what the RTP range means for your money. Figures are as of October 2026.

At a glance

Spec	Detail
Provider	ELK Studios
Released	23 July 2026 (wide release)
Grid	6x6, expanding to 8x8
How it pays	CollectR: no paylines; birds collect adjacent gems of their own colour
RTP	Up to 96%; lower configurations exist (reported as low as 87%), so check the in-game info screen
Volatility	Medium-high by ELK's rating (some reviews call it high)
Hit frequency	Reported at 25.1%, from a single source
Max win	10,000x the bet
Bet range	€0.20 to €100 per spin; limits can vary by casino
Bonus	3 Scatter Scarabs for 5 free drops; a Super Bonus version

How it plays

The grid starts at 6x6 and can grow to 8x8. Four parrots, each a different colour, land with gems in four matching colours. A bird collects any gem of its own colour that sits next to it horizontally or vertically, moving across the grid as it goes, and it also picks up feature symbols on the way. When gems are collected, the grid refills from above, and this continues for as long as any bird can still move. A bird's payout for the drop is the total value of the gems it collected.

Collecting gems and wilds also fills a collection meter. Each time it fills, the game stores a feature-symbol release, up to three at a time. A release turns gems on the grid into random feature symbols: Wilds (which stay on the grid after being collected), Coins with cash values, Upgrade (+1 to +3 levels for that bird's gems), Upgrade All, Transform and Super Transform, Scatter Scarabs and Super Scatter Scarabs, Tokens, and Captain Blackfeather.

Gem values

Gems have seven levels. The values below are per gem.

Gem	Level 1	Level 7
Red	0.10x	25x
Purple	0.10x	15x
Green	0.05x	10x
Blue	0.05x	7.5x

Why upgrades matter more than gem count

The gem table hides the most important thing about Pirots 5: the level of a gem matters far more than how many gems a bird collects. Our arithmetic from the table above:

Collection	Calculation	Value
One red gem, level 1	0.10x	0.10x
One red gem, level 7	25x	25x (250 times as much)
A hundred red gems at level 1	100 × 0.10x	10x
Five red gems at level 7	5 × 25x	125x

Five top-level gems are worth more than twelve times a hundred bottom-level ones. That is why the Upgrade and Upgrade All symbols, and the gem upgrades that carry over between drops in the Bonus, are what drive the large results. A busy grid full of low-level gems usually pays modestly.

The features, briefly

Captain Blackfeather

When a bird ends up next to Blackfeather, it becomes a ghost and he takes over its gems as Blackfeather gems, worth 0.15x to 30x per gem across seven levels. He can take over more birds the same way.

Traps, portals and layout changes

Up to four Portals can appear in the walls. Corner symbols open the Catacombs, where the birds fight mummies for feature symbols (Blackfeather always wins those fights). Arrow Shooters, a Boulder (from 2x2 up to 4x4) and a Secret Door that rotates the grid's four quadrants also change the layout. When birds get stuck next to each other, the Switcheroo and Labyrinth features shuffle them back into play.

Tokens and the Boss Castle

There are nine tokens across three worlds: Cursed Temple, The Kraken and City of Gold. Each token pays like a 5x coin, and your progress is saved permanently. Collecting all nine unlocks the Boss Castle game.

Cursed Temple Coin Game

Clearing the whole grid during a Secret Door triggers the Cursed Temple Coin Game. It is played on an 8x8 grid with coins only. Coins are sticky, and you get three respins that reset whenever a new coin or bird lands, in a hold-and-win style. A Cursed Treasure in the middle adds coin drops and can double a bird's win counter.

Bonus and Super Bonus

	Bonus	Super Bonus
Trigger	3 Scatter Scarabs	3 Scatter Scarabs, at least one of them a Super Scatter Scarab
Length	5 free drops	5 free drops
What persists between drops	Grid size, meter progress, portals and gem upgrades	The same
Extra	—	A Cursed Treasure Coin Rain at the start of each drop

Because upgrades and grid size carry over, the Bonus tends to build: a good first drop sets up the next ones. A weak start can stay weak.

X-iter

ELK's X-iter menu lets you pay for different routes into the features. The prices below were reported by a single review source, so check the in-game menu before buying.

Option	Cost	What you get
Bonus Hunt	3x the bet per spin	The bonus becomes 5 times as likely
Mega Hunt	10x per spin	The bonus becomes at least 20 times as likely
Cursed Temple	50x	The Cursed Temple Coin Game
Bonus	100x	The Bonus
Super Bonus	250x	The Super Bonus

A bought feature still pays whatever it pays: it can return less than its price, and it often will.

RTP and volatility in plain terms

RTP: up to 96%. Lower configurations exist, reported as low as 87%, and the casino chooses which one to run. Over the long run, the expected loss per €100 staked is about €4 at 96% and about €13 at 87%, more than three times as much in the same game. These are long-run averages, not predictions for a session, but the gap is real. Check the RTP in the game's info screen before you play. Our guide to RTP and volatility explains both ideas.

Volatility: medium-high. ELK rates the game medium-high, and some reviews call it high. With the hit frequency reported at 25.1%, about one drop in four pays something, and the big results depend on upgrades, Blackfeather and the Bonus coming together.

Max win: 10,000x.

Who it suits

Pirots 5 suits players who enjoy complex, progress-driven games: learning how the birds, traps and upgrades interact is part of the appeal, and the tokens give a sense of long-term progress. Players who liked the earlier Pirots games will recognise the core loop and find much more layered on top. If CollectR is new to you, our guide to slot mechanics explains collector games alongside paylines and cascades.

It is a poor fit for anyone who wants simple spins. There is a lot happening on every drop, and much of it only makes sense after some time with the game.

How we rated it

We score slots from 0 to 5 as an editorial judgement and explain what moved the score. For Pirots 5:

• In its favour: a 96% top RTP, a rich and original set of features, a Bonus that builds as it goes, and clear published gem values.
• Against it: lower RTP configurations reported as low as 87%, a steep learning curve, X-iter prices that reach 250x, and permanent token progress that can encourage longer sessions.

It sits alongside Red Rascal, which pairs a similar top RTP with a low lowest version and plenty of features. Our rating: 4.2 out of 5 (Great).

Play responsibly

Persistent features and saved token progress are designed to make you want one more spin. Decide on a budget and a time limit before you start, and stop when you reach either, whatever the meter or the tokens show. Count any X-iter price against your budget, not your base bet. Use the deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion your casino offers. No feature or purchase changes the odds in your favour. 18+ only. For help and tools, see our responsible gambling page.