The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for providing sliding symbol operations in grid-base games. The sliding symbol operations allow a player of the gaming device to move, by sliding or dragging, a particular symbol from one cell to another in an array of cells between plays of the grid-based game. Movement of the particular symbol from one cell to another allows a player to control their chances of winning and alter the proposed payouts for winning sequences of symbols for at least one subsequent play of the grid-based game.