Slot Volatility
There are many factors that players look for when picking their next favourite online slots or casino game including max payouts, bonus features, RTP percentage or even the provider. Another key aspect that players might not immediately notice is the idea of a slot game’s volatility score and the impact it can have on your potential to spin a winner.
New to the world of slots? Check out How to Play Slots to get you started on your online casino journey.
What Slot Volatility Means
Slot volatility is the frequency at which a slot awards a winning spin and dictates the potential payouts that can be awarded for those wins. Each game is assigned a volatility score from 1-5 depending on how often the game awards a winning spin and what the potential prize values are for when those wins are achieved.
Keep in mind that volatility, much like RTP, is calculated as an average over millions of spins and does not have 100% accuracy to how your experience will be. Your spins and potential wins are still generated by RNG (Random Number Generator) meaning you have the same chance to win on any given spin.
Volatility Variants
Volatility can come in many shapes and sizes! Each slot and casino game you play online will generally fit into 1 of 5 potential volatility levels including:
| Volatility Level | Score (1-5) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| High | 5 (highest) | Wins on any given spin happen less, but the potential payouts are higher |
| Med-High | 4 | Wins happen less often with higher payout values when wins are achieved |
| Medium | 3 | The most balanced volatility for frequency of wins and payout values |
| Low-Med | 2 | Wins happen more often with lower payout values when wins are achieved |
| Low | 1 (lowest) | Wins on any given spin happen more , but the potential payouts are lower |
Differences Between Volatility and RTP
| Factor | Volatility | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Indicates how often a slot game will award a winning spin and the payouts available. | Indicates the average return a player will expect from their total betting value. All bets are indicated as 100% with the slot RTP showcasing what percentage of that you would expect back i.e. 96% slots will return 96% of all total bets. |
| Payouts | Volatility can be linked to the overall payouts that a slot can award to a player. Higher volatility slots generally have higher symbol win values as wins are less frequent. | RTP has no direct link to symbol payouts or total jackpots but can be used to indicate your expected return on your total bet value. |
| Scores & Percentages | Volatility is presented with a score 1-5 with the higher the score indicating how high the volatility is. 5 presents the High volatility setting with 1 presenting the Low setting. | RTP is presented as a percentage out of 100%. The higher the RTP, the more chance you have to win back a higher percentage over a long period of time. As a basis, MrQ takes all games at their highest RTP value of around 96%. |
| Higher & Lower | Volatility is a choice dependent on your play style with higher or lower depending on how you like to play. Higher payouts with less chance of winning or more frequent wins with less life-changing wins; it’s entirely up to how you play. | RTP scores don’t present a choice for players of higher or lower being preferable. The higher the RTP, the better chance the game has to award a higher percentage of your total bets. |
Best High Volatility Slots
Big Bass Splash
MrQ’s premiere fishing adventure is here and expanding on the fun from the original Big Bass Bonanza. This adventure is loaded with special features including up to 5 bonus modifiers, upgraded free spins values and an even bigger progressive trail for special multipliers. Activate the special Bazooka, Dynamite or Hook features to fill the reels with extra Wilds, Money symbols or special respins to add even more fish-tastic wins.
Fluffy Favourites
The fluffy gang are here and ready for a cuddly trip to the carnival. Activate the special free spins mode with all wins including a cosy 3x multiplier to all cash values collected during the feature. The fun continues in the Toy Box Pick with each pick having the chance to bag you an instant 100x your total bet.
Book of Dead
Renowned adventurer, Rich Wilde, is here and ready to scour ancient tombs for mouthwatering treasures. Unleash the powers of the past with the Expanding Symbol feature that will fill the reels with winning symbols for wins worthy of the ancient Egyptian gods. Fill your swag bag with up to 1,000x your total bet that would make Dr Jones envious.
The Dog House Megaways
These dogs are full of new tricks and are bringing the woof-tastic fun of the Megaways. Get your paws on awesome prizes across over 117,000+ ways to win including Multiplier Wilds that will add up to a 3x multiplier to win values. Trigger the free spins mode with all Wilds sticking on the reels for the duration of the feature for even more chances to win.
Best Medium Volatility Slots
Big Bass Bonanza
Set sail for adventure with more than a few bites along the way. Trigger the free spins mode and match Fish Money symbols with a Collect to bag whopper cash prizes. Collect Wild symbols during the free spins mode and upgrade your fishing arsenal with special multipliers of up to 10x that will apply all collected Fish Money symbol values.
Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch
Blueprint’s premiere fishing adventure is here with some truly fish-tastic upgrades. Activate the free spins mode and match special Fish symbols with Wilds to bag some whopper cash prizes. Collect Wilds to upgrade the progressive trail with each upgrade removing the lowest-paying Fish symbol from the mode until only the biggest catches remain. Upgrade your fishing fun and wrangle up to 50x your total bet for every caught Fish.
Eye of Horus
The riches of ancient Egypt are unleashed and the sun god is ready to flex his mighty powers. Spin with Horus and activate the special Expanding Wilds that will turn entire reels Wild for mega wins. Activate the free spins mode and land the Wilds to unleash his true power as low-paying symbols will be upgraded to help fill the reels with the highest available symbols for relics of godly proportions.
9 Pots of Gold
Go over the rainbow with a pot (or 9) of glorious gold. Land special Pot symbols and match 3 or more to bag Epic Strike cash prizes. Successfully match 9 on the same spin and go an Irish jig with an instant 2,000x your total bet for riches even a leprechaun would envy. Trigger the free spins mode and play with an additional multiplier of up to 3x applied to all wins during the feature including Epic Strike prize values.
Best Low Volatility Slots
Starburst
Shoot for the stars with one of the most popular online slots from Netent. Land the special Starburst Wild and unleash the power of the cosmos with special respins that can turn up to 3 reels Wild for intergalactic wins. Fill all 3 middle reels for a guaranteed super win that is truly out-of-this-world.
Reel King
Join his royal spin-ness for a reel treat in the regal halls. Light up all five reels in gold and summon the power of the Reel King with each reel adding a special 3-reel Reel King. Spin on each Reel King to add awesome prizes with the mode continuing until each king completes a non-winning spin. Crack open the King’s royal treasure trove and win up to 2,000x your total bet.
Dazzle Me
Diamonds are everyone’s best friend in this stunning slot extravaganza. Bling it up with the Dazzle Wilds that can cover up to all 5 of the reels for a truly iced-out super win. Activate the free spins mode featuring the Linked Reels bonus that can replicate the results of up to 4 reels for guaranteed wins that’ll have you dazzlin’ all the way to the bank.
Enchanted Prince
Relive the popular fairytale with more than a few ways to spin happily ever after. Put a spring in your royal step with the special Wild symbols that will add a regal 2x multiplier to all win values involving the Wild symbol. Trigger the free spins mode and cast magic spells to retrigger the mode up to 15 times to extend the fairytale ending.
Other Factors to Consider
While volatility makes up a part of what you could be looking for in your next favourite slot, there are a lot of other factors that could help you make that all-important decision.
- RTP- The RTP (Return to Player) percentage can have a massive impact on how your slot behaves and how often the slot pays overall. Check the RTP of all of MrQ’s over 1,500+ online slots and casino games by checking the paytable options with higher RTP games giving the best chance to bag juicy wins.
- Bonus Games- A game’s features are one of the biggest factors when choosing an online slot with each game presenting its own sensational bonus options. Whether you like a Hold & Win, juicy jackpots or a traditional free spins mode; check the game’s paytable for all bonus features and see what suits you the best.
- Max Payouts- Each game presents a max payout that can be related a lot to its RTP and volatility settings. Games with lower max jackpots can be of lower volatility to give you a bigger chance of hitting that max win. On the other hand, higher volatility slots can present beefier max prizes with the chances to bag values over 50,000x for mega wins.
FAQ
What is slot volatility?
Slot volatility is the frequency at which a slot awards a winning spin and dictates the potential payouts that can be awarded for those wins. Each game is assigned a volatility score from 1-5 depending on how often the game awards a winning spin and what the potential prize values are for when those wins are achieved.
How can you tell the volatility of a slot?
The easiest way to gauge the volatility of a slot is through how often winning spins are recorded with lower volatility slots winning more often with lower payouts. Alternatively, you can view the volatility of some slots in the paytable options.
Are high volatility slots better?
What kind of volatility is the best very much depends on what you prioritise in your online slots. Higher volatility slots result in fewer winning spins overall but can possess some truly juicy win values when they do win so it depends on your balance of risk and reward when playing slots.
What are the benefits of low volatility?
Low volatility slots allow for more frequent wins on each spin. Be aware that this is not a guarantee and slot results are calculated randomly on every spin.
Can I win real cash prizes playing high and low volatility slots?
All of the online slot games available on MrQ are real money games with all winnings paid in cash. Sign up today and join the fun for as little as 1p a spin on some of the top online slots and casino games.
