Last updated: May 2026. Comparison built from in-game testing across all four Pirots titles, ELK Studios documentation, and community reception data.
ELK Studios has built a four-game franchise around the CollectR mechanic and four colourful parrots. The series launched with Pirots in 2022, expanded to Pirots 2 in 2023, hit its stride with Pirots 3 in June 2024, and got its (so far) final instalment with Pirots 4 later in 2024. Each title shares the same CollectR DNA but layers on different themes, different grid behaviours, and different math tuning. If you've played one and are wondering whether to try the others — or if you're new to the franchise and want to know where to start — this is the comparison.
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The four titles at a glance
| Title | Released | Theme | RTP | Volatility | Grid | Max Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirots | June 2022 | Pirate / high seas | 94.00% | 8/10 | 5 × 5 (fixed) | 10,000× |
| Pirots 2 | August 2023 | Prehistoric / dinosaurs | 94.00% | 8/10 | 6 × 6 (expandable) | 10,000× |
| Pirots 3 | 25 June 2024 | Wild West | 94.00% | 8/10 | 6 × 7 → 7 × 8 | 10,000× |
| Pirots 4 | November 2024 | Pirate (return to original) | 94.00% | 8/10 | 6 × 6 → 7 × 7 | 10,000× |
The headline numbers are remarkably consistent across the franchise. ELK has not chased "bigger max wins" between instalments — instead, they've evolved the mechanic and theme while keeping the core math identical.
Pirots (2022) — the original
The franchise's foundation. ELK Studios introduced CollectR with this title.
Theme: A pirate ship's deck, four parrot characters, treasure-filled gem set. The visual identity that defined the series.
Grid: 5 × 5 fixed. No expansion. This is the only Pirots title without grid expansion — every spin happens on the same 25 cells.
Mechanic in detail: Four parrots, four colours, walk and collect adjacent matching gems. The exact CollectR engine that powers every later title, in its first form. Multipliers exist but build slower than in Pirots 3.
Bonus: Free spins with sticky multipliers. Simpler than later instalments' bonus structures.
Reception: Cult favourite among ELK enthusiasts. Less popular among mainstream slot players because the 5×5 fixed grid feels smaller than the 6+ row giants competitors were shipping.
Best for: Players who want to see CollectR in its purest form, without the layered complexity of later titles.
Pirots 2 (2023) — the dinosaur expansion
ELK's second pass added grid expansion and tightened the visual production.
Theme: Prehistoric jungle. Same four parrots, but the gems are replaced with dinosaur eggs, bones, and prehistoric fauna. The visual identity is louder than Pirots 1.
Grid: 6 × 6 base, expanding rows as cascades chain. The first Pirots with dynamic geometry.
Mechanic in detail: CollectR with added grid expansion. Parrots can collect across the expanded grid. Multipliers now stack more aggressively than in Pirots 1.
Bonus: Free spins with progressively-expanding grid and stacked multipliers. The bonus round feels meaningfully bigger than Pirots 1's.
Reception: Significant step up. Pirots 2 became the first instalment that mainstream Aussie players noticed. Hit AU casino libraries in late 2023.
Best for: Players who liked Pirots 1 but wanted more grid space and more bonus impact.
Pirots 3 (2024) — the Wild West refinement
The franchise's most refined instalment to date (alongside Pirots 4).
Theme: Full spaghetti-western. Desert backdrop, four parrots dressed in cowboy hats and bandannas standing on a saloon roof, gem set replaced with gold coins, dynamite, wanted posters, cacti.
Grid: 6 × 7 base, expandable to 7 × 8 (42 → 56 cells). The largest grid in the franchise.
Mechanic in detail: Full mature CollectR. Multipliers stack quickly during bonuses, grid expansion is more dramatic than Pirots 2's, X-iter offers five tiers up to maximum-multiplier bonus entry.
Bonus: Free spins at maximum grid (7×8) with sticky multipliers per parrot, symbol upgrades, retriggers. The richest bonus round in the series.
Reception: Strong — the title that pushed ELK Studios into mainstream Aussie pokie rotation. Streamers love it. The 10,000× max plus the Wild West theme made it the franchise's breakout.
Best for: Players new to the franchise; players who want the maximum grid space; players who appreciate Western themes.
Pirots 4 (2024) — the pirate return
ELK closed the franchise loop by returning to the original pirate theme but layering on Pirots 3's mature mechanic.
Theme: Back to pirates, but with stronger animation and more elaborate ship-deck setting. A "remix" of Pirots 1's theme through the lens of three years of game development.
Grid: 6 × 6 base, expandable to 7 × 7 (36 → 49 cells). Slightly smaller than Pirots 3 but bigger than Pirots 1/2.
Mechanic in detail: CollectR with refined symbol upgrade rules. New "treasure chest" feature replaces some of Pirots 3's mechanics. Multipliers stack at a different cadence — somewhat faster than Pirots 3, leading to higher base-game variance.
Bonus: Free spins with treasure-chest layer, parrot multipliers, retriggers.
Reception: Strong but less culturally dominant than Pirots 3. The Wild West theme of #3 had more streamer crossover appeal.
Best for: Players who enjoyed Pirots 1's pirate theme but want modern mechanic depth.
Head-to-head matrix
| Aspect | Pirots | Pirots 2 | Pirots 3 | Pirots 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theme | Pirate | Prehistoric | Wild West | Pirate (refined) |
| Grid (base) | 5×5 fixed | 6×6 expandable | 6×7 expandable | 6×6 expandable |
| Grid (max) | 5×5 | 7×7 | 7×8 (56 cells) | 7×7 |
| RTP | 94.00% | 94.00% | 94.00% | 94.00% |
| Volatility | 8/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Max win | 10,000× | 10,000× | 10,000× | 10,000× |
| Bonus complexity | Simple | Mid | Richest | Rich (different) |
| Symbol upgrades | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (treasure chest) |
| X-iter tiers | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Streamer popularity | Low | Mid | High | High |
| Best mobile | OK | Good | Great | Great |
Pirots 3 wins on grid size, bonus complexity, and X-iter depth. Pirots 4 matches on most metrics but with a different theme. Pirots 1 and 2 are the older predecessors with smaller-scale execution.
Which Pirots to play first?
For new players: Start with Pirots 3. The mechanic is the most polished, the theme has the broadest appeal, and the grid is the biggest. It's also the most-stocked title in the AU casino libraries we tested.
If you love Western themes: Pirots 3, no question.
If you prefer pirates: Pirots 4 over Pirots 1. Same core theme, much-better execution.
If you're a completionist who wants to see CollectR's evolution: Play Pirots 1 first to see the mechanic's origin, then jump to Pirots 3 for the matured version. Skip Pirots 2 unless you specifically want the dinosaur theme.
If you streamer-watch: Pirots 3 has the most streamer footage and the best big-win clip library.
What stays the same across the franchise
All four titles share:
- CollectR mechanic — four parrots, four colours, adjacency-based collection.
- 94% RTP default — none of the franchise has a higher RTP build than 96% (and only in regulated markets).
- 8/10 volatility — high variance across all instalments.
- 10,000× max win — the ceiling never changes.
- HTML5 / mobile-friendly — all four run on phones and desktop equally.
- AUD support at all four featured casinos.
What this means: if you don't enjoy the CollectR rhythm on Pirots 3, you won't enjoy it on the other three either. Try one and decide if the franchise is for you.
What changes between instalments
The franchise's evolution has been about:
- Bigger grids — 5×5 → 7×8 across the franchise.
- Deeper bonus mechanics — symbol upgrades, sticky multipliers, retriggers.
- More X-iter tiers — 3 → 5 across the series.
- Better mobile UX — newer instalments run smoother on phones.
- Theme cycling — pirate → dino → Western → pirate.
The math underneath has barely changed. ELK has clearly identified the CollectR core math as "correct" and iterated on presentation rather than fundamentals.
Casino availability
All four featured Aussie casinos stock the full Pirots franchise:
| Casino | Pirots | Pirots 2 | Pirots 3 | Pirots 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegasnova | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Joe Fortune | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| GreatSlots | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| CasinoRocket | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
You can play any/all of them on a single casino account.
Will there be a Pirots 5?
ELK Studios hasn't announced one as of May 2026. The four-title series feels structurally complete — pirate → dino → Western → pirate creates a thematic loop. A Pirots 5 would need to break new theme ground.
Watch ELK Studios' announcements; if a Pirots 5 ships, expect it to deepen the mechanic further (probably adding new character types or grid behaviours) while keeping the 94% RTP and 10,000× ceiling consistent.
Pirots 3 is the franchise's high point▶ Play Pirots 3 · 🎁 Welcome Bonus
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Quick FAQ
Are Pirots wins shared across the franchise? No — each title has its own RNG and pay table. Winning on Pirots 3 doesn't affect your Pirots 4 odds.
Can I claim the welcome bonus once and play all four? Yes — the bonus applies to all slots in the casino's library, including all four Pirots titles.
Do I keep my X-iter knowledge from one Pirots to another? Largely yes — the X-iter menu structure is consistent across instalments (with slight tier-pricing differences).
Is there an order I should play them in? No required order. We recommend starting with Pirots 3 as it's the most refined.
Which title has the easiest learning curve? Probably Pirots 4 — its grid is moderately sized and the mechanics feel slightly more forgiving than Pirots 3's.
Has any title hit max-win more frequently than the others? They share the same theoretical max-win frequency (~1 in 50,000 bonuses). No instalment is mathematically "luckier."
Why not just play whichever is at the top of the lobby? All four work. Pirots 3 is most-stocked, but any of the four delivers the CollectR experience.
About this comparison
Compiled from cross-testing across all four Pirots titles at the four featured casinos, plus ELK Studios documentation and community streamer footage analysis during April-May 2026.
Gambling responsibly. The Pirots franchise sits at 94% RTP across every title. Playing four of them doesn't change the math — it just spreads your bankroll across four games. Set deposit limits before depositing. AU support: gamblinghelponline.org.au · BetStop · 18+ only.
Further Reading
Related reading in this guide: