Slots Like Toro Shogun: The Expanding Shogun Mode Grid Explained
Toro Shogun sends ELK Studios’ bull-and-matador duo from the Wild Toro series on a trip to Japan, running a 5×4 grid that expands up to 5×10 as wins accumulate, generating anywhere from 178 up to 1,378 ways to win. Toro himself lands as a Walking Wild and triggers a respin each time, shuffling one position left with every retrigger, while Matador symbols build their own sticky respin chain the more of them land together. Once every reel reaches its full 10-row height, Shogun Mode kicks in, stripping the low-value symbols from the reels and activating Both Ways Pays for the rest of the round. International builds offer ELK’s five-tier X-iter purchase system, running up to 500x stake for a Shogun Bonus entry, but UK-licensed sites don’t carry any of it, leaving the natural triggers as the only way in here. Payback lands at 94.00% on the default build, the volatility runs medium-high to high, and the top prize caps out at 25,000x stake.
Where to Play
18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
Slots Like Toro Shogun
ELK Studios’ own catalogue fills most of this list, led by the original Wild Toro game this release spins off from.
- Wild Toro
The bullfighting original this release spins off from, running a fixed 5×3 grid and a simpler walking wild respin rather than the expanding Shogun Mode grid used here. - Sumo Sumo
Another Japanese-themed release from the same studio, using a stacking Wild Sumo Brawl mechanic rather than the expanding grid and Shogun Mode used here. - Bushido Gold
Another samurai release from the studio’s catalogue, with its own set of Ninja and Cannon blocker symbols standing in for the Toro and Matador pairing used here. - Kaiju
Giant monsters replace the bull-and-matador pairing on this same-studio pick, which relies on an Exploding Wild instead of anything resembling the mechanics on this page. - Coba Reborn
A jungle ruins pick from the same studio, sticking to a fixed 7×7 cluster board rather than the row-by-row grid expansion this release builds its whole bonus around. - Big Bad Wolf
A storybook release from Quickspin built around a Pigs Turn Wild feature and Swooping Reels, nothing like the Walking Wild and expanding grid found on this page. - Epic Journey
A Quickspin release with its own Giant Wilds and Nudge mechanic, echoing the walking-wild idea here without the expanding grid or Shogun Mode this release is built around. - Honey Rush: Black and Yellow
A Play’n GO cluster pays release running a honeycomb grid and Colony features, sharing little mechanically with the expanding grid and walking wild used here.
How the Game Works
Reviewed by Brian TaylorPublished: July 2026
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Fan and gem symbols make up the low end of the paytable, with green and red dragons and a wise elder character worth chasing higher up, the whole grid framed by a Japanese temple courtyard beneath a torii gate. The base grid runs 5 reels by 4 rows, and wins cause the grid to grow taller, expanding row by row up to a maximum of 10 rows per reel as the round continues, lifting the total ways to win from a base of 178 up toward the 1,378 maximum.
Toro himself acts as a Walking Wild: whenever he lands, he triggers a respin and shuffles one position to the left each time it happens, continuing until he reaches the leftmost reel. Landing 2 or more Matador symbols instead triggers its own sticky respin sequence, with additional respins granted as further Matadors land. When Toro and a Matador end up interacting on the grid, Toro moves across it, knocking Matador symbols aside and leaving fresh wilds in his path.
Shogun Mode and Free Spins
Once every reel has expanded to its full 10-row height, Shogun Mode activates. Low-value symbols are stripped from the reels entirely, and Both Ways Pays switches on, meaning winning combinations pay whether they read left to right or right to left across the grid. Free Spins run as a separate feature, unlocked by 3 scatters landing on the outer and middle reels, starting you off with 7 spins and a multiplier that grows the more scatters show up, with the round able to top itself up again.
International builds offer ELK’s X-iter purchase menu across five tiers, from a 3x stake Bonus Hunt up to a 500x Shogun Bonus that buys straight into a Free Spins round with Shogun Mode already active throughout. None of these options are available on UK-licensed sites, so the natural triggers are the only way to reach either feature here.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The expanding grid gives Shogun Mode a real sense of build-up once it finally activates
- Two separate respin mechanics, Toro’s Walking Wild and the Matador chain, keep the base game genuinely active
- Both Ways Pays during Shogun Mode noticeably boosts win frequency once it kicks in
- A 25,000x ceiling holds up well against most of what else the studio has released
- Reusing the Toro and Matador characters in a new Japanese setting gives it a distinct identity within the franchise
Cons
- UK players don’t get the X-iter purchase menu that some international operators carry
- Reaching full Shogun Mode naturally can take a genuinely long stretch of play given the volatility
- Sources don’t fully agree on the exact maximum ways-to-win figure, citing both 1,378 and 1,328
- A 94.00% payback rate feels a little tight given how patient this release expects players to be
Game Screenshot
Give the free demo a real run before staking anything, since it takes watching the grid climb all the way to Shogun Mode a few times to appreciate how differently the game plays once Both Ways Pays kicks in.
Expert Take
Reviewers generally rate Shogun Mode as a genuinely satisfying payoff once the grid finally expands all the way, with the stripped-down high-value-only symbol set and Both Ways Pays singled out as a real step up from the base game. The most common criticism is that reaching that point naturally takes patience, and that UK players are locked out of the X-iter options that let international players buy their way there faster.
About the Developer
Toro Shogun launched from ELK Studios on 6 June 2023, reuniting the bull-and-matador pairing from the Wild Toro series for a Japanese-set spin-off. Pairing two separate respin mechanics with an expanding grid that culminates in Shogun Mode marks it out as one of the more structurally ambitious entries in the wider Toro franchise. See more on our ELK Studios slots page.
Toro Shogun Key Stats
Toro Shogun slot information last reviewed: July 2026
| Toro Shogun Slot Info | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Toro Shogun |
| Provider: | ELK Studios |
| Developer Rank: | A medium-high to high volatility spin-off release built around an expanding grid and dual walking-wild respin mechanics |
| RTP: | 94.00% at the default setting |
| RTP Category: | Average |
| RTP Rank: | Around the UK market average |
| Feature Description: | A Walking Wild (Toro) and a Matador respin chain on a grid that expands from 5×4 up to 5×10, culminating in a Shogun Mode with Both Ways Pays. |
| Feature Categories: | Japanese Themed, High Volatility, Expanding Grid Mechanic |
| Reels: | 5 |
| Rows: | 4 (expanding up to 10) |
| Paylines: | 178 to 1,378 ways to win |
| Volatility: | Medium-High to High |
| Volatility Rank: | Upper-mid tier on the site |
| Min Bet: | £0.20 |
| Max Bet: | £100 |
| Max Win: | 25,000x stake |
| Release Date: | 6 June 2023 |
| Slotslike Rank: | 1,672 out of 4,200+ games (View Top 100) |
Slots with the Same Features
A couple more picks worth weighing up against Toro Shogun.
Other Walking Wild Slots
Both build a bonus around a wild that moves across the reels, in the same spirit as Toro’s respin mechanic here.
More ELK Studios Slots
Neither one grows its grid or builds toward a Shogun Mode-style payoff, but each carries the studio’s name into a completely different mechanic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Walking Wild in Toro Shogun?
When Toro lands, he triggers a respin and shuffles one position to the left each time it happens, continuing until he reaches the leftmost reel.
How does the Matador respin work?
Landing 2 or more Matador symbols triggers a sticky respin sequence, with more respins granted as further Matadors land.
What is Shogun Mode?
Once every reel expands to its full 10-row height, low-value symbols are stripped from the reels and Both Ways Pays activates for the rest of the round.
How do Free Spins work on Toro Shogun?
Three scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 unlock the round, handing you 7 spins to start with a multiplier that grows as extra scatters land, and it can be topped up again.
Is there a Bonus Buy option on Toro Shogun?
Five X-iter purchase tiers exist on builds outside the UK, but none of them are offered to UK-licensed players.
What is the RTP of Toro Shogun?
The default build returns 94.00%.
How volatile is Toro Shogun?
Reviewers place it somewhere between medium-high and high, depending on the source.
What is the maximum win on Toro Shogun?
25,000x stake is the top prize on offer.
Is Toro Shogun a sequel to Wild Toro?
It’s a themed spin-off reusing the Toro and Matador characters in a new Japanese setting, rather than a directly numbered sequel.
Who makes Toro Shogun?
ELK Studios released the game on 6 June 2023.
Our Verdict on Toro Shogun
Toro Shogun gives ELK Studios’ bull-and-matador duo a genuinely fresh setting, and the way the expanding grid builds toward Shogun Mode gives the whole game a satisfying sense of escalation once it finally arrives. It plays patient given how volatile it is, and UK players miss out on the X-iter options that let others buy their way there faster, but as a spin-off that actually adds new mechanical ideas to the Toro franchise, it’s a well-built pick.
SlotsLike rating: 8/10