Highest Volatility Slots: Games With Fewer But Higher Payouts
For some online casino gamers, the volatility level of a slot game is not something they even look at. It’s simply a decision to choose a game based on its theme or the developer that created it. Perhaps some players don’t even know that a volatility level can be attributed to an online slot. Yet this piece of information can be quite helpful when it comes to deciding upon a slot game to play that suits your bankroll and your wagering.
The highest volatility online slots are those that can be considered to pay out higher rewards but at fewer intervals. You may need to wait longer, on average, before you hit a winning combination compared to a lower volatility slot. However, when this does happen, you will, on average, receive a higher reward. Effectively higher volatility slots pay out less often but can pay larger prizes, lower volatility slots pay out more often but with generally lower amounts. The type of player you are largely dictates what type of slot suits you, if you are loss averse by nature low volatility slots would be a better fit, if you are someone who doesn’t mind loses with the aim of a bigger win in the end then higher volatility games are often better.
It is important to still look at the return to player (RTP) percentage of the game and find games that have a high RTP (meaning they have a lower margin on average and pay back 95%+). This applies for both low and high volatility slots, you might as well play a game that pays out a higher share of what it takes in. No slot game pays back 100% and and the margin (100-RTP) is the profit that the casino and game developer take. Ultimately over a period of time you are almost guaranteed to lose overall playing slots, however, higher volatility slots can pay out large prizes meaning that the small proportion of people who do win can win larger amounts.
What about these high volatility good RTP slot games, then? Which ones can be considered the highest of the high? And what can you expect from spinning their reels? Well, here we’re going to look into the 10 highest volatility online slots.
Medusa Megaways by NextGen Gaming
With a maximum win possibility of 50,000x your stake and up to 117,649 ways to win, Medusa Megaways is a good high volatility slot game option. Released in 2018 by NextGen Gaming, the slot takes you into the Greek mythology world of the Gorgon Medusa and then introduces the Megaways function into proceedings.
Medusa Megaways also incorporates an RTP rate of 97.63%, which is nicely higher than the standard for video slot games. Cascading symbols on the reels give you the possibility of forming multiple subsequent wins from just a single spin. A wild symbol also appears on the reels, represented by Medusa herself, and she substitutes for all other standard symbols. There is also a scatter symbol, which is able to trigger a fantastic free spins round.
During gameplay, you can place wagers of up to £25 per spin and win up to 750x your stake from the standard payouts. The slot also has the chance to trigger its Medusa’s Gaze feature, which occurs randomly when a wild symbol shows up.
Cazino Zeppelin by Yggdrasil
It’s time to fly high with this steampunk zeppelin ship, which hosts its own casino for you to experience! Be careful though, because there are some tricksters onboard who will likely try to use sleight of hand and other tactics to try and win as much money off of you as possible. As one of Yggdrasil’s iSense 2.0 games, Cazino Zeppelin operates with high-quality on its side. Offering a maximum win possibility of 6,700x your in-play bet and having a RTP rate of 96% to experience, this 2015 slot provides a truly entertaining release.
During gameplay, you may also get to experience some of the slot’s specialities, including the sticky wilds that are present during free spins. It takes three or more of the game’s scatter symbols to activate free spins, and up to 20 of these can be won in Cazino Zeppelin. It’s a truly inviting release from this developer.
Jammin’ Jars by Push Gaming
The mere title of this online slot game from the Push Gaming brand is enough to make it inviting to play. Jammin’ Jars from Push Gaming is a treat of high proportions, featuring a maximum payout of 20,000x your in-play stake and a cluster wins perk that differentiates it from many other online slots. Combine that with the high-quality graphics of the developer and you’ve already got something special.
Speaking of special, Jammin’ Jars also includes one or two special features for you to experience during gameplay. All of the symbols on the reels are present in the shape of fruits, including apples, raspberries, plums and strawberries. There is also a jam jar symbol, with the jar full of multi-coloured fruit jam. This is a wild symbol and will substitute for all others as a result. Every jam jar also has a multiplier of up to 5x attached to it. Plus, it’s secondary function is that of a scatter symbol, meaning that if three or more show up, you get to play the free games round. And don’t forget about the Rainbow Feature of the slot, which can randomly trigger and add giant fruit symbols to the grid.
Dead or Alive 2 by Netent
Picking up where its predecessor left off, the Dead or Alive 2 online slot game allows you to travel to the Wild West. Perhaps the best part about spinning its reels is that you stand the chance of winning up to 111,111x your stake. And this is despite it having a standard five-reel, three-row layout and nine paylines in action. Netent has also included a RTP rate of 96.82% to the game, one of the best rates you will find.
Nobody could ever dispute this developer’s fantastic graphics capabilities, and Dead or Alive 2 readily promotes this throughout. Featuring symbols of cowboy boots, a bottle of whisky, a pistol and the five different variations of the wild symbol – which can pay out up to 1,500x your stake – there’s so much to enjoy about this slot. The scatter symbol is able to activate the free spins round, with three different options on hand for you to select from when three or more show up. These are the Old Saloon, High Noon Saloon and Train Heist.
300 Shields by NextGen Gaming
The second addition to this list from the NextGen Gaming brand, 300 Shields takes you into the world of Ancient Sparta. Pick up your sword and shield and be prepared to defend your land against the oncoming threat of the Persians. Featuring 25 paylines for you to win on and the possibility of betting up to £12.50 per round, this wouldn’t be a game that you would consider to be of such a high volatility. However, once you start spinning its reels, you’ll realise that it is. NextGen Gaming has also incorporated a RTP rate of 95.3%, and while this is slightly below the general average, it is key to note that it was released in 2014.
The warrior symbol is the game’s wild addition, substituting for all other standard ones on the reels. And it is the shield that works as its scatter inclusion. When three or more show up, you get to play the game’s Battle Feature, which is essentially a free spins round. You’ll get five free spins to play through and if you collect two or more shields during the round, extra free spins and multiplied wins come into effect.
Knight’s Life by Merkur
Can it ever be said that anything would be harder than being a knight back in the day? Having to go out and face off against various other knights and soldiers of the realm? Well, that is exactly what a knight’s life would be like. And this is brought to life in the slot game of the same name by the Merkur brand. Utilising a standard five-reel, three-row layout, this game is a 2015 release from the developer. And while its graphics could be of a higher quality overall, the gameplay is thoroughly entertaining.
Anyone deciding to access it will be able to claim a maximum payout of 750x the in-play bet from wins formed with any of the three knight symbols. Those all turn into wild symbols during the slot’s free spins feature, too. And speaking of those free spins, you’ll need to keep a close eye out of the appearance of the knight’s noble steed. It is two or more of this symbol that will trigger up to 30 free spins for you to play through. And during the base game, the sunshine symbol is the standard wild in Knight’s Life.
Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead by Play’n Go
You’ll find that Play’n Go has created a large number of slot machine games based on the Ancient Egyptian theme. However, its most famous is this one, frequently shortened to simply Book of Dead. You’ll find this game is available at many online casinos, and many of them also provide intriguing free spins on it as part of their welcome offer. It is also key to note that Book of Dead has a RTP rate of around 94.25%, which is lower than the average 96% for video slots today. That being said, you can potentially win up to 5,000x your stake from spinning its reels and forming combinations on its 10 paylines.
There is a free spins round available to trigger within the slot too, which is activated by spinning three or more of the titular book symbol into view. This is also the game’s wild symbol, helping you to form wins during gameplay. Maximum wagers of £50 per spin can be brought into play with Book of Dead. Again, it doesn’t seem like it would be that much of a high volatility game, but trust us, it is. And the likelihood is that this has helped the game to become so hugely popular with slot gamers over the years.
Danger: High Voltage by Big Time Gaming
Whenever you see a ‘Danger: High Voltage’ sign, the idea is that you always stay away from it. That won’t be the case when you get to witness this Big Time Gaming (BTG) release for the first time, though. You’ll want to play it ever more, thanks to its inviting theme, entertaining graphics and compelling gameplay. It supports wagers of up to £40 per spin from players and has a RTP rate of 95.67% attached to it. The title of the game seems very much different to what you experience when you load the reels up, as the symbols are all very specific in their individuality.
The great part about Danger: High Voltage though is its Full Reel Wild symbols. These come in the form of electricity and fire, substituting for all symbols, except for the scatter inclusion. Every win featuring a wild electricity symbol will receive a multiplier of 6x. And with the appearance of three or more scatter symbols, you get to experience the High Voltage Free Spins or Gates of Hell Free Spins. The former features 15 free spins and a High Voltage wild offering multipliers of up to 66x on wins it substitute in. The latter offers 7 free spins with a single symbol being marked as a sticky wild for the duration of the round.
Pink Elephants 2 by Thunderkick
You can always rely on the Thunderkick brand to release something spectacular, and that’s precisely what it has done with the Pink Elephants 2 game. Obviously, this follows the same sort of vein as the original Pink Elephants slot release, but with much better graphics and a more exciting atmosphere. It also offers you the chance to win up to 10,000x your stake when playing it, thanks to the 4,096 ways to win included in its setup. Bets of up to £100 per spin can be brought into play as well.
During gameplay, Pink Elephants 2 gives you the chance to benefit from its wild symbol, which substitutes in the standard way. There is also a gold-coloured scatter symbol, and this one is able to activate the game’s free spins round. Up to 19 of these can be earned from the appearance of this symbol, and it can also re-trigger such during the feature round. In the base game, you can also trigger between one and five mystery scatter symbols, giving you an increased change of activating the bonus round.
Legacy of Ra Megaways by Blueprint Gaming
Another slot game focusing on the Ancient Egyptian theme is Legacy of Ra Megaways from Blueprint Gaming. With a RTP rate of 96.01% attached to it and wins possible of up to 50,000x your stake, the game incorporates those fascinating Megaways from the BTG brand. Therefore, you can win in up to 15,625 ways on every single spin that you make. The game comes with six reels that spin whenever you play the game, with wagers of up to £10 per spin possible each round. And as is the standard for Blueprint, Legacy of Ra Megaways also incorporates fantastic graphics.
A wild symbol is also present on the reels, which is capable of substituting for all standard symbols. The only one it won’t substitute for is the scatter inclusion. Speaking of which, it is the slot’s own logo that represents this one, and if three or more show up, you activate the free spins round. Up to 50 of these can be gained, and the round comes with a special expanding symbol in operation throughout.
