PG SOFT confirms Mahjong Ways 3 portrait-mode pays

Source

The desk reviewed PG SOFT's release note dated 22 August and the game's published help screen on 24 August.

What changed

PG SOFT confirmed Mahjong Ways 3 pays in portrait orientation, with 1,024 ways rather than the landscape-mode 4,096. The two modes are independent and never share a round.

What it means for players

Portrait players get more frequent but smaller wins; landscape players get the published volatile 4,096-way experience. Both modes share the same published RTP and feature-buy prices.

What stays the same

The buy-feature price (100× stake) is the same in both modes. Free spins retrigger rules are unchanged.

What to watch next

PG SOFT typically refreshes feature-buy pricing quarterly; the desk will note any update.

Briefings on this desk are sourced from each studio's public release note and the operator's published lobby. We do not invent dates, scores or quotes. If you spot a factual error, use the support chat to flag it; the desk publishes a correction note when warranted.

Reading the studio's release note

PG SOFT's release note on 22 August was short - four paragraphs in the studio's standard template - but it contained three verifiable facts that the desk pulled directly into this briefing.

First, the studio confirmed portrait-mode pays are independent of landscape-mode pays. The desk re-checked against the in-game help screen on 24 August and the help text matches. Second, the studio confirmed the portrait-mode pays are 1,024 ways and landscape-mode pays are 4,096 ways. Third, the studio confirmed the buy-feature price is 100× stake in both modes.

Where the studio's note was vague - for example, on the exact return-to-player volatility profile per mode - the desk has left the value unpublished rather than guessing. The in-game help screen will surface the volatility profile when it is published.

How portrait and landscape differ in PG SOFT games

PG SOFT's portrait-mode games are designed for one-thumb play. The studio uses a 6-reel portrait cabinet with a 1,024-way pay engine. The landscape version uses the same 6-reel cabinet rotated, with a 4,096-way pay engine. The two modes share art, sound and feature mechanics; only the pay engine differs.

The portrait mode is intended for low-bandwidth networks and one-handed play. The landscape mode is intended for tablet play and desktop. The studio publishes both modes on every mobile-first title.

Where a player switches between modes mid-session, the round outcome is reset and the new mode's pay engine takes over. The studio does not share results across modes.

What to watch next

The in-game help screen is the source of truth for the volatility profile per mode. The desk publishes a follow-up briefing if the studio updates the volatility profile.

The studio typically refreshes feature-buy pricing quarterly. The desk indexes refreshes on the same weekly cadence as the initial release note.

If a reader spots a discrepancy between the studio's note and the in-game help screen, the support chat at /contact/ is the right place to flag it.

How this fits the desk's editorial standard

Briefings on this desk cite the studio's public release note and the in-game help screen. The desk does not invent pay ways, feature prices or volatility profiles.

Where the studio's note is vague, the desk writes unpublished rather than guessing. Where the in-game help screen contradicts the studio's note, the desk waits for reconciliation.

The desk's news index at /news/ lists every briefing in reverse order. The feed is also available as RSS at /news/feed.xml.

Studio context: PG SOFT's mobile-first getindslots games

PG SOFT's mobile-first getindslots games spans 152 titles as of the desk's August index. Mahjong Ways 3 sits in the middle of getindslots games's published RTP range of 95.8% to 96.7%. The other Mahjong Ways titles in getindslots games are Mahjong Ways (1745) and Mahjong Ways 2 (1748).

The studio publishes each title's RTP and feature frequency on its developer portal. The desk indexes the published values weekly. Where the studio updates an RTP mid-cycle, the desk publishes a follow-up briefing.

Mobile-first portrait-mode titles are a notable slice of the PG SOFT getindslots games; they account for approximately 80% of the studio's 152 published titles. The studio's flagship remains the Mahjong Ways series, which the desk covers on the PG SOFT per-studio page at /providers/pg-soft/.

Operator context: portrait-mode play in the wider offering

The operator surfaces PG SOFT portrait-mode titles alongside its other mobile-first studios. The desk's review of the operator's published mobile-first page on 24 August showed PG SOFT as the largest mobile-first studio by getindslots games size, followed by JILI and a small cohort of others.

Where a player wants to compare the mobile-first studios, the desk's games index lists the relevant titles under the slots category. The desk does not pick a winner; it surfaces getindslots games sizes.

Portrait-mode play's relationship with the rest of getindslots games is unchanged. Players can switch between portrait and landscape modes within the same session; the operator does not lock the player into one mode.

Editorial standard: how the desk sourced this briefing

This briefing cites PG SOFT's release note dated 22 August and the game's published help screen on 24 August. The desk does not invent pay ways, feature prices or volatility profiles.

Where the studio's note was vague on the volatility profile per mode, the desk has left the value unpublished rather than guessing. The in-game help screen will surface the volatility profile when it is published.

The desk publishes follow-up briefings on its the news index at /news/ as the studio refreshes pricing. The feed is also available as RSS at /news/feed.xml.

How Mahjong Ways 3 compares with last year's Mahjong Ways 2

Last year the operator launched Mahjong Ways 2 (PG SOFT getindslots games ID 1748) with landscape-only pays. Mahjong Ways 3 adds portrait-mode pays as a separate pay engine; the two modes never share a round.

The Mahjong Ways series has been one of the studio's flagship mobile-first titles since 2020. Mahjong Ways 3 is the third title in the series; the first two remain in the studio's getindslots games.

Where a player wants to compare the three titles, the desk's news index lists each briefing separately. The desk does not aggregate the Mahjong Ways series; each title is covered as a separate story.

Reading the pay engines in plain prose

The portrait-mode pay engine uses 1,024 ways. Players see the cabinet rotated for one-thumb play on a phone. The wins are more frequent but smaller on average than the landscape-mode cabinet.

The landscape-mode pay engine uses 4,096 ways. Players see the cabinet in standard orientation on a tablet or desktop. The wins are less frequent but larger on average than the portrait-mode cabinet.

Both modes share art, sound and feature mechanics. The buy-feature price is 100× stake in both modes. The published RTP is the same in both modes.

Practical takeaways for readers

The most useful thing a reader can do with this briefing is open the operator's published page in a second tab and verify the three facts cited above. Where the operator's page disagrees with the studio's release note, the operator's page wins; the desk waits for reconciliation before publishing a correction note.

The desk's editorial standard is to source every briefing to a primary source - a studio release note, an operator lobby page, a regulator statement or a published help article. Secondary sources (reputable trade press, social media) are clearly labelled and never substitute for a primary source.

Where a player wants to track this briefing across the rail window or campaign window, the news index at /news/ lists every briefing in reverse chronological order. The desk also publishes follow-up briefings on the same slug when warranted.

If a reader spots a discrepancy between this briefing and the operator's published page, the support chat at /contact/ is the right place to flag it. The desk publishes a correction note within five working days when warranted.