| Updated: September 24, 2025Known for developing slots with provocative and unique themes, Nolimit City once again offers players a different kind of adventure with The Border. Spread across a 6×6 grid, this slot pays out for cluster combinations of at least five identical symbols. The slot’s theme is inspired by the struggles many people face when trying to cross the U.S. border.
Featuring dangerous cartel bosses, patrol agents, and migrants, this video slot keeps you on your toes – especially when one of its numerous bonus features is activated. The Border is a game with extremely high volatility, which means you may endure quite a few losing rounds before landing a generous payout. That said, the slot’s top prize is an estimated 44,288x your bet, giving The Border outstanding payout potential.
The Border Theme, Graphics, and Sounds
When it comes to creating slots with unique themes, Nolimit City is undoubtedly one of the best providers on the iGaming scene. The Border portrays the almost impossible-to-cross U.S. border in the background of the slot. The game’s characters represent the various individuals you might encounter when attempting to cross the border illegally.
The game’s sound effects and visuals make The Border an action-packed slot that draws players in. Everything moves quickly, and special symbols often affect the slot’s grid as well. All of this makes the spinning adventure much more exciting, providing players with a different yet highly enjoyable gaming experience.
The Border Symbols and Payouts
Instead of relying on the standard payline system, The Border pays out for any cluster of at least five identical symbols that touch vertically and/or horizontally. Winning clusters are then removed from the grid, allowing the symbols above to fall into place. This can create new clusters, which may in turn open additional empty positions.
The three low-paying icons of the game are a scorpion, a rattlesnake, and a vulture, delivering 0.2x, 0.25x, and 0.3x the bet, respectively, for a cluster of five. For clusters of more than 160 identical symbols, any of these icons can pay up to 553.85x the total bet.
The higher-paying symbols of The Border depict a girl clutching cash, a man ready to fight, a soldier, and a patrol agent. For a minimum-size cluster, they award 0.5x, 0.6x, 0.65x, and 0.7x the total bet, respectively. Each of these characters can pay up to 1107.2x the total bet.
The most generous regular symbol of The Border depicts a man smoking a cigar and holding a gold chain with the U.S. flag. He awards 5x your total bet for a cluster of just five symbols, whereas clusters of more than 160 identical symbols pay 2214.4x your stake.
In addition to the regular symbols, The Border includes several special symbols such as Scatters and Wilds, each with its own feature. The Scatter that triggers the bonus game appears as an icon bearing a gold dollar sign. You will also encounter Wilds such as xWays, xSplit, xNudge Cluster Wild, and xBomb Wild. While playing the bonus game, you may also encounter the special symbol xCluster.
The Border Bonus Mechanics
The Border’s reels feature several special symbols, and its many Wilds can trigger a range of bonus features. The first special Wild is called xWays, and it transforms into a regular paying symbol covering 2 or 4 positions.
If two or more xWays symbols land on the reels on the same spin, all of them will transform into the same symbol. An xWays icon can become two full-size symbols or four half-size symbols, creating an offset that may connect additional symbols into a winning cluster.
Another Wild that can appear on the slot’s grid is xSplit, which lands on any reel except the first. This icon will split all symbols to its left, doubling their size and converting itself into a Wild. xSplit can also split Scatters, doubling their number. If two xSplit symbols land on the same row, the symbols to their left are split and receive an xX indicator that can reach up to 64x.
When you land a winning cluster containing an xNudge Wild, the Wild will nudge surrounding symbols up or down, depending on whether the winning combination is above or below it.
For every symbol it pushes, the xNudge Wild adds a 1x multiplier to the win. The nudging continues until no more consecutive symbols can form a winning cluster. If the xNudge Wild is split by an xSplit symbol, it begins nudging with its own multiplier added to the overall win multiplier.
If an xBomb Wild lands on the reels, it substitutes for any regular symbol and removes adjacent icons when it explodes. This special Wild also increases the win multiplier for the following cluster collapse. If an xBomb is split, it adds a multiplier equal to the number of pieces it splits into.
The Scatter symbol triggers the bonus features of The Border. When six Scatters land anywhere on the game’s grid, they activate 10 Mule Spins. During these bonus spins, if an xWays symbol is part of a winning cluster, the symbols in that cluster positioned on the same reel are infected before the xSplit and xNudge features are applied. When xWays transforms into two or four symbols, the infected symbols further split into two or four symbols.
If an additional Scatter lands during the Mule Spins, the round is upgraded to the Coyote Spins feature, and each extra Scatter awards two additional spins. The Coyote Spins feature can also be triggered when seven or more Scatters land in the base game, awarding 12 free spins. During this feature, xWays symbols behave similarly, infecting all symbols in a winning cluster rather than only those on the same reel.
During Coyote Spins, all xBombs apply their multipliers to every symbol bearing an xX indicator that was not blown away. If an xBomb carries no multiplier, it adds +1 to those symbols. Additionally, the win multiplier does not reset during the Coyote Spins feature.
While the Bonus Mode is active, an xCluster can appear when two or more unique symbol clusters form in the same avalanche. This boosts the win multiplier by +1 for each unique symbol cluster starting with the second cluster.
To increase their chances of triggering the bonus game, players can use the Boosted xRip feature. By wagering an additional 50% of the original stake, players are guaranteed to land a Scatter symbol on the first reel. There is also the option to buy one of the bonus features: 10 Mule Spins cost 98x the original bet. For 914x the stake, players receive between 12 and 20 Coyote Spins. The third bonus-buy option costs 506x the original bet and randomly awards either Mule Spins or Coyote Spins.
Closing Thoughts
The Border is a fun and distinctly original game by Nolimit City, offering players plenty of opportunities to land major wins. If you are brave enough to attempt crossing the border, you might achieve the American Dream and win a fortune. This is a slot with extremely high volatility, making it perfect for those who enjoy riskier bets and the potential for significantly higher rewards.