High Volatility Online Slots (2025): Top Games & Where to Play
High volatility slots are popular with patient players that enjoy chasing huge jackpots. These games are designed to deliver large, infrequent wins, so they also appeal to players that like to take risks.
I’ve discussed the key pros and cons of highly volatile slots below. You’ll discover the top 10 online slots with high volatility rates, and I’ll explain how to find your ideal game.
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My top 10 high volatility slots
There are hundreds of high volatility slots at the best online casinos. These games stand out, as they offer sharp graphics, strong return to player (RTP) rates, exciting bonus features, and the chance to win very large prizes.
Extra Chilli Megaways
Extra Chilli Megaways is a feature-rich slot that offers the chance to win up to 20,000x your bet. You’ll benefit from tumbling reels, wilds, and scatters on this 6-reel Megaways slot, which offers up to 117,649 paylines. There’s also a buy bonus feature, which allows you to dive straight into the free spins round. The RTP rate also increases to an impressive 96.82% if you activate that feature.
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- Developer: Big Time Gaming
- RTP: 96.15% (96.82% if you activate the bonus buy feature)
- Where to play: BetMGM, Caesars Palace Casino, FanDuel
Dead or Alive 2
This Wild West-themed slot from NetEnt is renowned for offering a maximum win of 111,111x your bet. Dead or Alive 2 is a highly volatile game, so you need to be prepared to endure barren spells, punctuated by large wins. This 5-reel video slot offers three different free spins rounds, and I really like the slick graphics and atmospheric sound effects.
- Developer: NetEnt
- RTP: 96.82%
- Where to play: Caesars Palace Casino, BetRivers, DraftKings
Duel at Dawn
Hacksaw Gaming specializes in Wild West-themed slots, from 2Wild2Die to Wanted Dead or a Wild. Duel at Dawn is the best of the bunch, as it offers innovative features, superb animations, and the chance to win up to 15,000x your bet. This is another bonus buy slot, which means you can pay a fee to jump straight into any of the five bonus rounds. They’re all entertaining, but my favorite is the Wild Wild West feature.
- Developer: Hacksaw Gaming
- RTP: 96.3%
- Where to play: WOW Vegas, Chanced Casino, Stake.us
Medusa Megaways
Medusa Megaways is a high-quality slot from NextGen Gaming, one of many studios owned by industry giant Light & Wonder. The game has an above average 96.28% RTP rate, and it increases to 97.63% if you activate the bonus buy feature. There are up to 117,649 on this Ancient Greece-themed slot, and you can win up to 50,000x your stake. Medusa Megaways is playable from $0.25 to $25 per spin, which should suit most budgets.
- Developer: NextGen Gaming
- RTP: 97.63% if you activate the bonus buy feature
- Where to play: Caesars Palace Casino, DraftKings, BetMGM
Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead
Book of Dead is one of the most popular slots of all time. This Ancient Egypt-themed slot offers a compelling theme, fast-paced action, exciting bonus features, and a solid 96.21% RTP rate. Book of Dead is a volatile slot, but it offers the chance to win up to 5,000x your bet.
- Developer: Play’n Go
- RTP: 96.21%
- Where to play: BetMGM, BetRivers
Sweet Bonanza
Sweet Bonanza is one of the most popular slots at elite sweepstakes casinos like WOW Vegas, McLuck, and Pulsz. This bright, candy-themed game is highly volatile, and it offers the chance to win up to 21,175x your bet. It’s a cluster pays slot, which doesn’t feature traditional paylines, and the features include tumbling reels and free spins. There’s also a fun sequel, Sweet Bonanza 1000, which has a max win of 25,000x.
- Developer: Pragmatic Play
- RTP: 96.49%
- Where to play: WOW Vegas, McLuck, Crown Coins Casino
Wheel of Fortune Elegant Emeralds
This is one of many Wheel of Fortune slots from IGT. They’re all entertaining, but I like Wheel of Fortune Elegant Emeralds, as it offers a wealth of features (no pun intended…ok, maybe it was). You can win up to 200 free spins, while the Ca$hLink 2 feature gives you the chance to win up to 8,333x your bet. It’s an action-packed game that is available at all the leading US online casinos.
- Developer: IGT
- RTP: 96.15%
- Where to play: BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings
Japanese Mask
Japanese Mask is a dark, brooding game that features various demons and ghosts from Japanese folklore. The graphics are a little unsettling, but I enjoyed the foreboding soundtrack and the seamless animations. Features include cascading reels, up to 38 free spins, and a “Super Bet” option. There’s a bonus buy feature, and the maximum win is 4,825x your bet.
- Developer: Habanero
- RTP: 96.41%
- Where to play: Jackpota, McLuck, WOW Vegas
Cash Eruption
This is another iconic slot from IGT, the studio behind classics like Cleopatra, Siberian Storm, Wolf Run, and Texas Tea. Cash Eruption unfolds in an Aztec temple, which welcomes a fire goddess. I like the fiery graphics, the simple base game, and the inventive bonus rounds. There are four fixed jackpots, and the “Grand” jackpot offers a 10,000x max win.
- Developer: IGT
- RTP: 96%
- Where to play: BetMGM, DraftKings, BetRivers
The Green Machine Deluxe Power Bet
I like the sheer simplicity of this high-energy slot. There are no symbols or paylines. Just spin the reels, and any cash prizes that appear will instantly be credited to your balance. The Green Machine Deluxe Power Bet is a volatile game, with an above average RTP percentage and fun features, from the expanding reels and free spins to the Power Bet option.
- Developer: High 5 Games
- RTP: 96.5%
- Where to play: BetMGM, Caesars Palace Online Casino, High 5 Casino
What is a high volatility slot?
The volatility of an online slot tells you how frequently you’re likely to win. Slots fall into three broad categories:
- Low volatility slots: These games tend to deliver small, regular wins.
- Medium volatility slots: Games that offer reasonably frequent wins and the chance to win pretty substantial prizes.
- High volatility slots: These slots typically deliver large, infrequent wins.
Volatility is also known as variance. High variance slots have a low payout frequency. You can spin the reels multiple times without receiving a payout. However, these games tend to offer large prizes.
If you like racking lots of small, steady wins during a session, it’s best to avoid high volatility slots. Meanwhile, if you like taking risks, and you’re happy to wait patiently for large payouts, high volatile slots can be very rewarding.
Just bear in mind that you’ll typically need a larger bankroll when playing online slots with high variance rates. That will help you ride out any potential losing streaks.
Can high variance slots still have high RTP?
Yes, high variance slots can still have high RTP rates. In fact, some of the slots with the highest RTP percentages are extremely volatile, including Book of 99, Mega Joker, and Codex of Fortune.
What is RTP? It stands for Return to Player. Every online slot has an RTP rate. It tells you the return that a player with average luck can expect from a slot over a prolonged period of time. For example, if the slot has a 95.8% RTP rate, you’ll expect $95.80 back from every $100 wagered if you have average luck. That equates to a 4.2% house edge.
The results are totally random, which means that some players will win, and others will lose. However, choosing a slot with a high RTP rate theoretically increases your chances of success. The average online slot has an RTP of approximately 96%, so try to find games with a higher rate than that. Those are considered higher-paying online slots.
High volatility slots with high RTPs
The slots below have high volatility rates and high RTP percentages. You can play these games at the top US online casinos, sweepstakes casinos, and social casinos.
| Slot | Developer | RTP | Where to Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book of 99 | Relax Gaming | 99% | Chanced Casino, Punt.com, High 5 Casino |
| Mega Joker | NetEnt | 99% | bet365, Hard Rock Casino |
| Sweet Punks | Popiplay | 98.2% | WOW Vegas, NoLimitCoins, Funrize |
| Codex of Fortune | NetEnt | 98% | BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Palace Casino |
| Money Cart / Money Cart 2 | Relax Gaming | 98% | RealPrize, Chanced Casino, Punt.com |
| White Rabbit Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 97.73% | BetMGM, Caesars Palace Casino, FanDuel |
| Zeus Lightning: Power Reels | Red Tiger Gaming | 97.73% | Stake.us, Chanced Casino, Punt.com |
| Wild Play SuperBet | NextGen Gaming | 97.63% | BetMGM, BetRivers, Fanatics Casino |
| Elephant Stampede | RubyPlay | 96.91% | WOW Vegas, Pulsz, McLuck |
| Big Bass Splash | Pragmatic Play | 96.71% | MegaBonanza, Crown Coins, WOW Vegas |
Read more: How to win playing online slots
Important notes:
The RTP on Mega Joker is variable, but it goes up to 99%. You need to activate the bonus buy feature to benefit from the displayed RTP rate on White Rabbit Megaways.
Factors to consider when choosing a high volatility slot machine
The best online casinos offer a wide range of high volatility slots. You can consider five key factors when selecting the slot that’s right for you:
How to find an online slot’s volatility
There are a few ways to find an online slot’s volatility:
- Open an online slot and select the information icon (usually a circled i). Many slot providers display the volatility of the game, along with the RTP rate and the rules, in this section.
- Visit the provider’s website and search for the game. For example, NetEnt’s site tells you the volatility of every slot.
- Some online casinos also allow you to filter slots by volatility. For example, you can tap the “Filter” button at bet365 Casino, scroll down to “Volatility,” and select “High.” You’ll then see all the high volatility slots in the portfolio.
Online slots are thoroughly tested to ensure that the displayed volatility rating is accurate. For example, slots from Pragmatic Play have been independently certified by Gaming Laboratories International, Quinel, and Gaming Associates. That guarantees fair, random results, which are in line with the stated RTP percentage and volatility rate.
Are online casino slots more volatile than a retail casino’s?
No. You can find a wide range of low, medium, and high volatility slots at both online casinos and retail casinos. However, online slots tend to have significantly higher RTP rates than physical slot machines.
For example, slot machines on the Las Vegas Strip had an average payout rate of 91.9% in 2024, according to the University of Las Vegas. By contrast, high volatility slots at online casinos have an average RTP of 96%, and some go up to 99%.
How to play high variance online slots for free
Most real money online casinos allow you to play high volatility online slots for free in demo mode. For example, you can tap the “Demo” button to play slots like Cash Eruption and Medusa Megaways for free at DraftKings Casino.
You can also play these slots for free at social and sweepstakes casinos. They give you free coins through various promos, including no-purchase welcome bonuses and daily login bonuses. You can then use your free Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins to play high variance slots.
Another option: you can play wide range of high volatility slots for free in demo mode at PlayUSA, with no need to sign up or download software. Just find a free online slot game and click “Play for Free.” You can find a full list of free slots A-Z.
Finally, you can often play high volatility slots for free by visiting the developer’s website.
Pros and cons of playing slots with high volatility
You can unlock a wide range of benefits by playing high volatility slots, but there are also a few potential drawbacks to consider. Here are both, as I see them:
- High volatility slots typically offer larger potential payouts than other casino games.
- These games tend to offer more bonus features than low volatility slots.
- They are unpredictable and varied, which appeals to some players.
- Wins tend to be infrequent, so these games demand patience and persistence.
- You can endure several losing streaks, so sensible bankroll management is crucial.
- Slots with lower volatility are better when you’re working on wagering requirements.
