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Top 100 / Volatility

Slots by volatility

Two slots can have the same payback and feel nothing alike. Volatility is the reason. Here are the five bands we use, and the five most popular slots in each.

Low volatility

Low volatility slots pay small amounts often. Wins tend to be close to your bet size, the balance drifts rather than lurches, and the top prize is modest. They suit a small budget you want to stretch, or anyone who plays for the time on the machine rather than the jackpot.

1 of the Top 100 is low volatility. See them all.

Top 5 low volatility slots

Drawn from our full pool, so some sit outside the Top 100.

  1. 1Gold FishLight & Wonder · #59 overallBuzz 75Casino floor
  2. 2StarburstNetEnt · Outside the Top 100Buzz 44Online
  3. 3Cash FallsLight & Wonder · Outside the Top 100Buzz 18Casino floor
  4. 4Blood SuckersNetEnt · Outside the Top 100Buzz 8Online

Medium volatility

Medium volatility slots mix steady line wins with a bonus round that can pay a few hundred times your bet. You will feel some swings, but a session rarely ends in the first ten minutes. This is where most classic casino favourites sit.

25 of the Top 100 are medium volatility. See them all.

Top 5 medium volatility slots

Drawn from our full pool, so some sit outside the Top 100.

  1. 1Monopoly (series)Aristocrat / Light & Wonder · #3 overallBuzz 95Casino floor
  2. 2Le BanditHacksaw Gaming · #24 overallBuzz 81Online
  3. 3Mahjong Ways 2PG Soft · #29 overallBuzz 80Online
  4. 4Fishin' FrenzyReel Time Gaming / Blueprint Gaming · #30 overallBuzz 80Online
  5. 5Stinkin' RichIGT · #34 overallBuzz 79Casino floor

Medium-high volatility

Medium-high slots hold more of their payback in the feature. The base game can feel quiet, then a hold and spin or free games round does the heavy lifting. Expect longer gaps between meaningful wins and bring a budget that can wait for the bonus.

18 of the Top 100 are medium-high volatility. See them all.

Top 5 medium-high volatility slots

Drawn from our full pool, so some sit outside the Top 100.

  1. 1Phoenix LinkAristocrat · #2 overallBuzz 97Casino floor
  2. 2Huff N' PuffLight & Wonder · #4 overallBuzz 95Casino floor
  3. 3Ultimate Fire LinkLight & Wonder · #7 overallBuzz 88Casino floor
  4. 4Huff N' Even More PuffLight & Wonder · #8 overallBuzz 88Casino floor
  5. 5Sweet BonanzaPragmatic Play · #13 overallBuzz 85Online

High volatility

High volatility slots are built around the big hit. Most spins return little or nothing, and a large share of the payback sits in rare bonus outcomes. Sessions end quickly more often, and sometimes end spectacularly. Set a loss limit before you start.

50 of the Top 100 are high volatility. See them all.

Top 5 high volatility slots

Drawn from our full pool, so some sit outside the Top 100.

  1. 1Dragon LinkAristocrat · #1 overallBuzz 100Casino floor
  2. 2Spooky LinkAristocrat · #5 overallBuzz 91Casino floor
  3. 3BuffaloAristocrat · #6 overallBuzz 90Casino floor
  4. 4Zeus vs Hades: Gods of WarPragmatic Play · #9 overallBuzz 88Online
  5. 5Sugar Rush 1000Pragmatic Play · #10 overallBuzz 86Online

Extreme volatility

Extreme slots sit at the very top of their maker's scale. Max wins run into the tens of thousands of times your bet, and the price is that most sessions lose. These are the games behind the wildest streamer clips. Treat the money as spent the moment you sit down.

6 of the Top 100 are extreme volatility. See them all.

Top 5 extreme volatility slots

Drawn from our full pool, so some sit outside the Top 100.

  1. 1Duck HuntersNolimit City · #36 overallBuzz 79Online
  2. 2Das xBootNolimit City · #79 overallBuzz 70Online
  3. 3San Quentin xWaysNolimit City · #80 overallBuzz 70Online
  4. 4Hand of AnubisHacksaw Gaming · #86 overallBuzz 69Online
  5. 5Fire in the Hole xBombNolimit City · #93 overallBuzz 67Online

How we assign a band

For online slots we use the rating the game maker publishes, mapped onto five bands. If a maker calls its top rating "high", we call it High. We only use Extreme where the maker itself puts the game at the very top of its scale and describes it in those terms.

Casino floor machines are different. Makers almost never publish volatility for them, so every floor rating on this site is our estimate, marked est., based on how the game is built: how much of the pay sits in jackpots and bonus rounds, and how players and analysts describe it. Treat those as a guide, not a lab measurement.

Volatility does not change the long-run payback. It only changes how bumpy the road is on the way there. Read the full explainer.