Frequently asked questions

We measure attention. For each slot in our pool we find the 20 most-watched YouTube videos from the past 12 months that name the slot in the title, and score the audience they drew. The slot with the highest score gets a buzz score of 100 and the rest are scaled against it. The full method is on the How We Rank page.

No. Rankings come only from the buzz score. We do not sell placements and we do not link to casinos. The site is paid for by display ads, which have no input into the list.

Volatility, also called variance, describes how a slot hands out its payback. A low volatility slot pays small wins often. A high volatility slot pays less often but can pay far more when it does. Two slots can return the same percentage over the long run and feel completely different to play. See the volatility guide.

Low: frequent small wins. Medium: a mix of regular wins and occasional bigger ones. Medium-High: a quieter base game with more weight in the bonus. High: long dry spells and big bonus potential. Extreme: the top of a maker's scale, with max wins in the tens of thousands of times your bet and sessions that usually lose.

Online slot makers publish a volatility rating for each game, and we use it. Makers of casino floor machines almost never publish one, so for those machines we estimate it from how the game is built and how players and analysts describe it. Every estimate is marked so you can tell the two apart.

RTP means return to player. It is the share of all money wagered on a slot that the game is designed to pay back over a very large number of spins. A 96% RTP does not mean you get $96 back from $100 in a session. Short-term results swing widely, and more so on high volatility games.

Because there is not one number to show. Makers build each floor machine in several payback versions and the casino chooses which to install, within limits set by its regulator. The same title can pay back differently at two casinos, and even at two denominations in the same casino. Many online slots also come in several RTP versions, so check the game's info screen at the casino where you play.

No. Volatility and RTP are separate. Volatility tells you how bumpy the ride is. RTP tells you where the ride ends up over the long run. A high volatility slot can have a higher RTP than a low volatility one.

It depends on your budget and what you enjoy. If you want your money to last and like regular small wins, look at low and medium. If you are comfortable losing your session budget quickly for a shot at a large win, high and extreme are built for that. Whatever you choose, decide what you are willing to lose before you start and stop when you reach it.

It shows which casino floor machines appear most often in videos filmed in cruise ship casinos. A machine gets the At sea badge when at least three separate videos show it being played on a ship. It is a measure of what people film and watch, not an official list from any cruise line. See cruise ship slots.

The machines are largely the same titles from the same makers. What differs is the setting: ship casinos generally open only in international waters, cruise lines do not publish payback percentages, and you can usually charge play to your cabin account. The line-up also varies by ship.

Each slot links to up to three of its most-watched YouTube videos, each from a different creator, so you can see the game being played by real players. The thumbnail is from the first one. Press a thumbnail or a creator's name and the video plays on this page in the standard YouTube player. The videos belong to the creators who made them. We do not host them and are not affiliated with the channels. If a video is yours and you want it removed, email contact@top5slots.net.

Either it was in the pool and its buzz score was not in the top 100, or it was not in the pool. The pool is reviewed at every update. Email us at contact@top5slots.net and we will look at adding it.

The date of the latest update is shown at the top of the home page. Because the score uses a rolling 12 months of videos, each update picks up new releases and drops off older buzz.

No. Top5Slots.net is an information site. We do not offer gambling of any kind, real money or free play, and we do not take deposits.

That depends on where you are. In the United States, real-money online casino games are legal only in certain states, and the rules change. Check the law where you live and only play with operators licensed there. Nothing on this site is legal advice.

In the United States, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is free and confidential, 24 hours a day. Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), or visit ncpgambling.org. Most casinos and regulated online operators also offer self-exclusion and deposit limit tools.