Sometimes a sequel adds more features. Sometimes it adds a bigger bonus. Sometimes it adds a higher max win.
Pirots 5 does something much harder: it expands the entire idea of what a Pirots game can be.
Launching July 23rd, ELK Studios' latest adventure follows the birds back from space and into a cursed temple filled with traps, secret passages, mummies, portals, rotating rooms, treasure chambers, and the long-awaited return of Captain Blackfeather. What begins as a 6x6 collecting slot gradually unfolds into one of the most elaborate progression systems we've seen in a slot release this year. The grid can expand to 8x8, birds evolve their gem values throughout the session, bonus progress carries forward, and entire side activities—including the Catacombs and the Cursed Temple coin game—exist alongside the main gameplay loop.
The 10,000x maximum win is not extraordinary in 2026. The innovation absolutely is.
Pirots 5 feels less like a traditional slot and more like a miniature adventure game disguised as one. Every few minutes something new seems to happen: a bird enters the Catacombs, a mummy battle starts, a Secret Door rotates the entire grid, Captain Blackfeather steals half the board, or a portal suddenly creates a route that didn't exist seconds earlier.
That ambition earns the 9.8/10 Innovation score.
Visuals & Theme: ELK's Best Adventure Yet
Pirots has always leaned heavily into adventure storytelling, but Pirots 5 pushes the presentation further than any previous entry in the series.
The lost temple setting works because the mechanics and visuals reinforce each other constantly. The Catacombs feel like an actual hidden dungeon rather than a simple feature trigger. Secret Doors physically rotate sections of the board. Boulder traps crush parts of the grid. Portals create pathways through surrounding walls. Even the birds themselves feel like active characters rather than animated symbols.
Captain Blackfeather deserves special mention. His takeover mechanic instantly changes the visual state of the board, transforming birds into ghosts and converting their gems into Blackfeather gems. It's one of those features that immediately feels important the moment it appears.
The game constantly communicates progression visually. Gem upgrades, expanding grids, feature releases, portals, treasure rooms and bonus persistence all have obvious visual feedback, which is critical in a game this complex.
This is one of the strongest-looking ELK releases in recent memory.
Technical Overview
RTP: 96.00%
Max Win: 10,000x
Grid: 6x6 expanding to 8x8
Bet Range: €0.20 – €100
Feature Buy: Yes
Bonus Buy: 100x
Super Bonus Buy: 250x
The technical profile is interesting because it almost feels secondary to the gameplay systems.
A 10,000x maximum win is respectable but no longer exceptional. Plenty of modern high-volatility games exceed it. However, Pirots 5 isn't trying to compete through sheer ceiling size. The focus is clearly on progression, exploration and feature interaction.
The X-iter menu is well designed. Players can choose between Bonus Hunt (3x), Mega Hunt (10x), direct Cursed Temple access (50x), Bonus Buy (100x), or Super Bonus Buy (250x), covering everything from light feature boosting to immediate premium feature access.
The 250x Super Bonus entry point is particularly attractive given how much progression remains persistent once the feature begins.
Mechanics: A Slot That Refuses To Sit Still
This score is easy to justify.
Most slots have one central mechanic.
Pirots 5 has an entire ecosystem.
At its core are four collecting birds. Each bird can collect matching gems and feature symbols while moving around the board. Gems can be upgraded up to level seven, dramatically increasing their value over time.
Above the grid sits a collection meter. Filling it generates feature releases that convert ordinary gems into special symbols. Up to three releases can be stored and triggered simultaneously.
Then things get interesting.
Catacombs
Each corner of the grid contains a Catacomb entrance. Matching birds can enter these hidden chambers and fight mummies. Winning battles creates feature symbols while clearing all four fights generates additional rewards.
This is effectively an entire side game hidden inside the main game.
Captain Blackfeather
Blackfeather is the game's standout character mechanic.
When activated, he takes control of birds, transforms their gems into Blackfeather gems, steals progression, and can even take over multiple birds simultaneously. Once active, he collects everything under his control before disappearing.
It's chaotic, unpredictable and consistently entertaining.
Secret Door
The Secret Door might be our favourite feature.
Instead of simply awarding a modifier, it physically rotates sections of the board, repositioning symbols, birds, traps and opportunities. Cross-over floor tiles then allow birds to travel through previously inaccessible paths.
This creates genuinely different board states rather than simply larger multipliers.
Cursed Temple
Clearing the entire grid during Secret Door activates the Cursed Temple coin game. Here the action moves to a separate 8x8 board centred around a cursed treasure. Birds collect coins, trigger treasure events and can receive additional coin rains throughout the feature.
It feels like a completely separate game mode rather than a traditional bonus round.
Bonus & Super Bonus
Collecting three bonus symbols triggers the bonus feature.
If one of those symbols is a Super Bonus symbol, the Super Bonus starts instead. Five bonus drops are awarded initially, with additional bonus symbols extending the feature. Gem upgrades, collection meter progress and grid expansion remain persistent throughout.
The Super Bonus gains an additional advantage by triggering a Cursed Treasure Coin Rain at the start of every bonus drop.
Persistence is what makes these features work.
You're not restarting every few spins. You're building on previous progress, creating a stronger feeling of momentum than most modern bonus structures provide.
Potential & Entertainment
The potential score is held back primarily by the 10,000x ceiling.
That's not a bad number, but it doesn't match the scale of the mechanics surrounding it. With this much complexity, progression and feature interaction, we expected something closer to the upper end of the modern market.
The entertainment score is a different story.
Few games released this year have kept us as engaged spin-to-spin as Pirots 5.
There's almost always something happening. A portal opens. A bird enters a Catacomb. Blackfeather appears. A Secret Door rotates the board. A bonus trigger progresses. A mummy battle starts. A treasure event activates.
The game consistently rewards curiosity.
Final Verdict: The Best Pirots Yet
Pirots 5 is not trying to be the highest-paying slot of 2026.
It's trying to be the most interesting.
And it succeeds.
The combination of CollectR™, Catacombs, Secret Doors, Cursed Temple, Blackfeather takeovers, portals, persistent progression and bonus carry-over creates one of the deepest gameplay systems we've seen from ELK Studios.
Not every mechanic will matter equally during every session.
Not every player will want this much going on.
But if you enjoy slots that feel genuinely adventurous rather than repetitive, Pirots 5 is one of the easiest recommendations of the year.
If you want to see how it all began here is the full Pirots porfolio on our site: Pirots, Pirots 2, Pirots X, and Pirots 4.
