3 Oaks Gaming · Released 2026
Released
Jul 26
Volatility
n/a
Reel
5x3
Paylines
5
RTP
n/a
Min bet
n/a
Max bet
n/a
Max win
1,000
Grand from 3 Oaks Gaming is a 2026 release that takes the studio back to classic fruit machine territory but gives the familiar cherries, Sevens, bells and diamonds a much more interesting Hold and Win feature than the old school presentation initially suggests. Released on 22 July 2026, it uses a 5x3 grid with five fixed paylines, with the five letters GRAND sitting prominently above the reels and eventually becoming the key to the game's biggest prize.
Six Diamond Bonus Symbols trigger Hold and Win, but filling the grid isn't quite the objective you'd expect. Each reel is linked to one of the five letters above it. Completely fill a reel and its corresponding letter lights up, but instead of those symbols remaining locked, their values are swept into the Total Win and the reel is cleared. That gives you fresh space to start filling it again while retaining your progress towards GRAND. Light all five letters and the 1,000x Grand Jackpot is awarded.
It's a clever change to the usual Hold and Win rhythm. Normally a nearly full grid is exciting because you're running out of empty spaces. Grand occasionally does the opposite and rewards you by emptying a reel you've just worked hard to fill. It sounds counterproductive until you realise you've banked the values, permanently lit another letter and created three new positions for more prizes.
The Star Boost gives the game another useful trick. It can multiply every visible reward, including fixed jackpots, while in the base game it can immediately multiply and collect prizes already sitting on the reels. The Super Bonus then starts Hold and Win with two Boost Symbols already guaranteed, making the multiplier mechanic considerably more prominent.
For a slot simply called Grand, there's surprisingly more thought here than just writing GRAND above the reels and hoping nobody asks what it does.
The Diamond Bonus Symbols are the Cash Symbols at the heart of the game, carrying individual prize values and providing the route into Hold and Win. Land six or more and the main bonus begins.
Diamonds are hardly an adventurous choice for a slot built around wealth, but their role becomes much more interesting once Hold and Win starts because they're not simply filling positions until the Respins run out. Their placement determines which GRAND letters you can activate, so three Diamonds stacked on the same reel can be more important than three scattered randomly across the board.
That makes position matter in a way it often doesn't in Cash Symbol games.
The Diamond Metre provides another route into Hold and Win by collecting Diamond activity during ordinary play. Once the meter is filled, the bonus can activate without needing the standard six symbol trigger on a single spin.
I like this because the base game would otherwise be extremely traditional. Five paylines and fruit symbols don't provide much sense of progress on their own, so having a meter quietly building towards the feature gives ordinary spins a little more purpose.
It also means Hold and Win isn't entirely dependent on one fortunate screen full of Diamonds.
Landing six or more Diamond Bonus Symbols activates the Hold and Win Bonus Game, with the triggering prizes remaining on the grid while the empty positions Respin. New Bonus Symbols provide additional prizes and keep the feature moving.
Where Grand gets interesting is that you're not necessarily trying to keep every symbol permanently locked. Completely filling one reel activates its corresponding GRAND letter and sweeps those values into the Total Win, clearing the reel and allowing it to start filling again.
That gives the feature a nice rhythm. Filling a reel produces an immediate sense of achievement, but instead of making the remaining feature more cramped, it gives you more space to continue. You're effectively cashing in one part of the board while keeping the overall bonus alive.
The GRAND progression is comfortably the game's best mechanic.
Each of the five reels corresponds to one letter. Fill a reel completely and that letter ignites, the values from the completed reel are added to the Total Win and those positions are cleared. Light G, R, A, N and D and the 1,000x Grand Jackpot is awarded.
This works because progress survives even though the symbols don't. Once you've lit a letter, you've permanently moved one step closer to the Grand while simultaneously creating room to keep collecting.
It also creates some good tension late in the feature. If you've already managed G R A N and only D remains, suddenly the fifth reel is the only part of the board you're really interested in. A couple of useful Diamonds there can make the rest of the grid feel almost irrelevant.
For once, spelling GRAND correctly is actually worth something.
The Star Boost can appear randomly and applies a Multiplier to every visible prize, including Jackpot Symbols. In the base game, it can also multiply and immediately collect the visible rewards on the board.
Independent game documentation lists 2x, 3x and 5x Boost values.
This is particularly effective because it isn't limited to ordinary Diamond values. Having the multiplier apply to fixed jackpots means the Star remains interesting even when the board is already carrying one of the better prizes.
The timing can make an enormous difference. A 5x Boost arriving when the grid is relatively empty is useful; the same Star dropping onto a busy board containing stronger values and a jackpot is the sort of result that suddenly makes the feature live up to its name.
The bonus can contain Mini, Minor and Major Fixed Jackpot Symbols, while the Grand Jackpot pays 1,000x the stake and is awarded for completing all five GRAND letters.
The Grand is the one I particularly like because it isn't simply another prize symbol waiting to land. You have to work through the game's central progression mechanic to earn it.
That makes every completed reel part of the jackpot chase, and by the time four letters are glowing above the grid, the remaining reel has considerably more pressure sitting on it than you'd normally expect from a fruit machine.
The Super Bonus is an enhanced version of Hold and Win that begins with two Star Boost Symbols guaranteed on the activating spin and improves the chances of additional Boosts appearing during the feature.
This is a worthwhile enhancement because it strengthens the game's best secondary mechanic rather than simply handing out a few extra Respins.
With two Boosts already involved, the feature has a much better opportunity to start multiplying a useful collection immediately, and further Stars can keep improving things as the GRAND progression develops.
Grand is much more enjoyable than its five payline fruit machine exterior initially suggests.
The base game is intentionally straightforward and probably a little too quiet for my taste, although the Diamond Metre gives you something to follow when the normal reels aren't producing much. Once Hold and Win begins, however, the game develops a much stronger identity.
The reel clearing mechanic is the reason. Filling a reel would normally mean you've permanently occupied another three spaces, but here it becomes an opportunity to bank the values, light a letter and open those positions again. That keeps the grid from becoming increasingly restrictive as the feature progresses and gives successful rounds a satisfying cycle of filling and clearing.
There's also a nice change in focus as more letters illuminate. Early in the bonus you're happy to fill anything. Get to G R A N and suddenly you're watching that final reel like it's the only one in the game.
The ordinary spins prevent me pushing the gameplay into the 8s, but Hold and Win is considerably better designed than the traditional fruit machine presentation might lead you to expect.
Score 7.6/10
The GRAND progression gives the bonus a proper objective rather than simply asking you to fill fifteen positions before three Respins disappear.
I particularly like that completing a reel does three useful things at once. It banks the prizes, advances the jackpot progression and clears space for another collection. That gives the feature momentum without needing to expand the grid or introduce another screen.
Star Boost works nicely alongside it because the value of a Boost depends on how strong the current board has become. The possibility of multiplying fixed Jackpot Symbols gives it more bite than a multiplier restricted to ordinary Cash values.
The Super Bonus is a sensible upgrade too. Guaranteeing two Boosts means the premium version starts by emphasising something that genuinely improves the feature rather than simply increasing a hidden probability.
There's enough happening here to make Hold and Win feel distinctive without turning a simple fruit slot into something requiring an instruction manual.
Score 8.4/10
Grand knows exactly what sort of slot it wants to look like.
Fruit, bells, BARs, Sevens, diamonds and gold give it an unmistakably classic appearance, while the red and gold presentation adds enough polish to stop it looking genuinely old fashioned.
The GRAND letters are particularly effective because they're both decoration and a permanent progress display. As they begin lighting above the reels, the feature becomes visually more satisfying and you can understand exactly how far you've progressed without looking for a separate meter.
The Star Boost also provides a welcome splash of activity when it arrives, particularly when several prizes are multiplied simultaneously.
Artistically, though, this is still fruit machine territory. 3 Oaks has made the cherries and Sevens look expensive, but there are limits to how glamorous a plum can reasonably become.
Score 7.4/10
The GRAND reel progression is a clever enough idea to give an otherwise extremely traditional slot a recognisable identity.
What makes it work is the decision to clear completed reels. If filling a reel simply illuminated a letter while leaving everything locked, this would feel much closer to an ordinary Hold and Win jackpot chase. Sweeping those prizes into the Total Win and reopening the positions changes how the bonus develops.
There's also a pleasing relationship between the title and the mechanic. GRAND isn't simply the name of the game or the largest prize written in oversized letters. You're physically building the word one reel at a time, with each completed letter representing actual progress.
Star Boost adds another useful layer without distracting from that central idea.
The classic fruit presentation isn't doing anything for originality, but mechanically Grand has enough of its own personality that I'd remember how it works rather than simply remembering another red and gold Hold and Win game.
Score 7.9/10
Overall Rating
7.9/10
Grand hides one of 3 Oaks Gaming's more interesting Hold and Win ideas underneath an extremely traditional fruit machine.
The base game isn't going to overwhelm anyone with activity. Five paylines, familiar fruit symbols and a Diamond Metre keep things straightforward, with most of the game's personality waiting for six Diamond Bonus Symbols to open Hold and Win.
Once you're there, the GRAND progression makes a meaningful difference. Completely filling a reel lights its corresponding letter, banks the prizes and clears those positions so they can be used again. That means a successful feature can repeatedly recycle parts of the grid while continuing to move towards the 1,000x Grand Jackpot.
Star Boost is a good companion mechanic because it can multiply every visible prize, including fixed jackpots. The Super Bonus then makes those Boosts more prominent from the outset, giving the stronger version of Hold and Win a genuine advantage rather than simply changing a few background probabilities.
The biggest weakness is the ordinary game. Grand saves so much of its better thinking for Hold and Win that the five payline base can feel rather plain by comparison. The traditional fruit presentation won't win many points for imagination either, although the illuminated letters provide a clear and satisfying visual record of your progress.
What matters is that the title actually means something. You're not merely hoping to land a symbol marked GRAND. You're trying to build the word yourself, one completed reel at a time, while every successful letter clears enough space to keep the chase alive.
Grand may have a very short name, but 3 Oaks has managed to get considerably more than five letters out of the idea.
Overall Rating: 7.9/10.
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