Slots Like Santa Hopper: The 7×7 Cluster Grid Explained

Santa Hopper takes Push Gaming’s Dragon Hopper engine and wraps it in a festive reskin, running the same 7×7 cluster pays grid where groups of 5 or more identical symbols touching edge to edge pay out. Santa himself carries a stacking multiplier of up to 10x, and whenever he lands beside a Chimney symbol he hops onto it, bumps his own multiplier up by 1, and leaves a Golden Present wild behind in his old spot. A randomly triggered Jingle Drop can add oversized Mystic symbols worth 2×2 up to 4×4 on any non-winning spin, Instant Prize symbols pay out anywhere from 1x to 1,000x on their own, and 3 or more scatters trigger 6 to 12 free spins that carry existing wilds and chimneys straight onto the bonus grid. UK-licensed operators don’t offer the Push Bet purchase menu found on international builds, so the free spins round can only be reached by landing it during play here. The default build returns 96.35%, volatility sits medium-high, and reports put the ceiling at roughly 10,000x to 10,231x stake depending on the source.

Where to Play

18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.

Slots Like Santa Hopper

Push Gaming’s own catalogue covers most of the ground here, led by the Dragon Hopper release this one borrows its engine from.

• Dragon Hopper
  
  The 2025 release this one reuses the engine from, running the same 7×7 cluster grid and Instant Prize symbols under a dragon fantasy theme instead of the Christmas reskin used here.
• Fat Santa
  
  An earlier Push Gaming Christmas release built around Growing and Random Wilds on a standard grid, a much simpler bonus structure than the 7×7 cluster and Santa hop mechanic used here.
• Mystery Mission – To The Moon
  
  A space exploration theme from the same studio, trading the Christmas setting and Santa hop mechanic here for its own mystery-symbol bonus format.
• Razor Shark
  
  Push Gaming’s flagship underwater release, leaning on stacked mystery symbols and expanding free spins rather than the cluster grid and hopping wild used here.
• Jammin Jars
  
  An 8×8 cluster pays classic from the same studio, running a Rainbow feature with climbing multipliers instead of the Santa hop and Chimney mechanic used here.
• Tiki Tumble
  
  A tropical cluster release from Push Gaming, using feature-substitution wilds and a bonus spins multiplier in place of the Santa hop and Jingle Drop found here.
• Ice Breaker
  
  A 243-ways collapsing-symbol slot from the same studio, built around a Hammer symbol feature rather than the 7×7 cluster grid and stacking wild multiplier used here.
• Big Bad Wolf
  
  A Quickspin fairy-tale release with Pigs Turn Wild and Swooping Reels features, a completely different bonus format to the cluster grid and locking wild here.
• Wild Swarm 2
  
  Another same-studio pick with its own meter-driven bonus, swapping the Christmas theme and Santa hop mechanic here for a bee village and Swarm Mode.
• 10 Flaming Bisons
  
  A Great Plains setting from the same studio, running instant-prize Bison symbols and a Push-Up ante bet rather than the hopping Santa Wild mechanic used here.
• 10 Santa’s Reindeers
  
  Push Gaming’s other 2025 Christmas release, running a Reindeer cash ladder and fixed jackpot tiers rather than the hopping Santa Wild and cluster grid used here.

How the Game Works

Reviewed by Brian Taylor
Published: July 2026

SlotsLike.co.uk contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up via our site. It never affects our reviews or ratings. 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly (GamCare, BeGambleAware, GamStop).

Baubles are the lowest payers, with candy canes, stockings, trees, and bells climbing the paytable ahead of them, all set against a snowy Christmas backdrop. The grid runs 7 reels by 7 rows, and a payout needs a group of 5 or more identical symbols sitting adjacent to each other anywhere on the board. Winning groups clear away and new symbols drop in to fill the empty spaces, so a single spin can chain through several wins in a row before the board settles.

Santa and the Golden Present both act as wild symbols carrying their own multipliers, which stack together when they land in the same winning cluster. The signature mechanic is the Santa Feature: when Santa lands next to a Chimney symbol, he hops onto it, his multiplier climbs by 1, and a fresh Golden Present wild is left behind in the tile he just vacated, so a good run of hops can snowball a single cluster into a much bigger multiplier.

Jingle Drop and Free Spins

The Jingle Drop can trigger randomly on any non-winning spin, dropping one or two oversized Mystic symbols sized anywhere from 2×2 up to 4×4, which then transform to reveal a matching regular symbol underneath. Instant Prize symbols also appear independently of clusters, paying anywhere from 1x up to 1,000x stake on their own. Three or more Scatter symbols on the grid hands you 6 to 12 Free Spins depending on how many landed, and any wilds or Chimney symbols already in place carry straight over into the bonus round rather than resetting.

International builds offer a Push Bet purchase menu with several priced tiers into the free spins round, but UK-licensed sites don’t carry that option, leaving the scatter trigger as the sole way to reach it here. Reports on the maximum win aren’t fully consistent either, with most reviewers citing 10,231x stake as the precise figure while a couple of others round it down to a flat 10,000x.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• The Santa hop mechanic gives the cluster grid a genuine snowball effect once a good run gets going
• Instant Prize symbols and the Jingle Drop add extra ways to win outside of the main cluster mechanic
• Free spins carrying over existing wilds and chimneys rewards a strong base-game trigger
• 96.35% RTP sits above the UK market average
• The festive presentation is polished, even if it leans heavily on the earlier Dragon Hopper engine

Cons

• The Push Bet purchase menu isn’t available on UK-licensed sites, unlike some international builds
• Several reviewers note the game leans heavily on the Dragon Hopper engine rather than offering something genuinely new
• Reduced RTP configurations down to 85.37% are also reported in circulation at some operators
• The precise ceiling isn’t pinned down consistently across reviewers, landing anywhere between 10,000x and 10,231x

Game Screenshot

Run the free demo for a while before staking real money, since it takes a few good hop chains to see how quickly Santa’s multiplier can climb once he starts jumping between chimneys.

Expert Take

Reviewers generally rate Santa Hopper as a solid, well-presented seasonal release, with the Santa hop mechanic and carried-over free spins singled out as the more interesting additions. The most common criticism is that it reads as a Christmas reskin of Dragon Hopper rather than a fully original build, with the core cluster engine, grid size and Instant Prize symbols carried straight across from that earlier release.

About the Developer

Santa Hopper launched from Push Gaming on 19 November 2025, arriving alongside the studio’s 10 Santa’s Reindeers release as part of a push into the holiday season. Reusing the 7×7 cluster grid and Instant Prize format introduced on Dragon Hopper earlier the same year marks it out as a festive spin-off rather than a standalone build. See more on our Push Gaming slots page.

Santa Hopper Key Stats

Santa Hopper slot information last reviewed: July 2026

Slots with the Same Features

Two further picks for anyone comparing Santa Hopper against the wider field.

Other Christmas Themed Slots

Both lean on a festive setting, though neither runs a hopping wild or a 7×7 cluster grid like this one.

More Push Gaming Slots

Neither shares the 7×7 grid or hopping wild found here, but both fly the same studio’s flag with their own distinct bonus rounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Santa Feature?

When the Santa Wild lands next to a Chimney symbol, he hops onto it, his own multiplier climbs by 1, and a Golden Present wild is left behind in the tile he vacated.

How does the cluster grid work?

A payout needs 5 or more identical symbols sitting adjacent to each other anywhere on the 7×7 grid, and winning groups clear away so new symbols can cascade down.

What is the Jingle Drop feature?

A randomly triggered feature that can add one or two oversized Mystic symbols, sized 2×2 up to 4×4, which transform to reveal a matching regular symbol.

How do Free Spins work on Santa Hopper?

Landing 3 or more Scatter symbols awards 6 to 12 free spins, and any wilds or Chimney symbols already on the grid carry straight over into the bonus round.

Is there a Bonus Buy option on Santa Hopper?

International builds offer a Push Bet purchase menu, but it is not available on UK-licensed sites.

What is the RTP of Santa Hopper?

The default build returns 96.35%, though reduced configurations around 94.35% and 85.37% may be used by some operators.

What is the maximum win on Santa Hopper?

Most sources cite 10,231x stake as the precise figure, though it’s sometimes rounded down to 10,000x.

Is Santa Hopper related to Dragon Hopper?

Yes, it reuses the same 7×7 cluster grid and Instant Prize format introduced on Push Gaming’s Dragon Hopper, released earlier the same year, with a Christmas reskin applied.

Who makes Santa Hopper?

Push Gaming released the game on 19 November 2025.

Our Verdict on Santa Hopper

Santa Hopper takes the 7×7 cluster engine Push Gaming introduced on Dragon Hopper and wraps it in a well-produced Christmas theme, with the hopping Santa Wild giving the base game a genuinely satisfying snowball effect once a good chain of hops gets going. It won’t surprise anyone who’s already played Dragon Hopper this year, and UK players miss out on the Push Bet menu available elsewhere, but as a festive spin on a proven cluster format it’s an easy recommendation for the season.

SlotsLike rating: 7/10