By reading the heading above you already have an idea that slot games have different volatility levels. Understanding the ins and outs of the concept will give you the upper hand when choosing your next online slot game.
Low volatility games enable players to have a taste of the money at more regular intervals. Unlike high volatility slots, games on the opposite end of the meter offer better consistency but also lower maximum payouts.
Volatility levels (also called variance levels) create a framework that determines the percentage of winning combinations that is going to occur during any number of spins. In addition to that, the volatility level also sets a bar on the range of winning outcomes that you can typically expect.
Any given game of chance is based on a probability engine whose outcomes are impossible to predict. Spins made on slots result in a win or a loss. Essentially, the volatility level has everything to do with the hit rate and the size of the payouts.
Even if you are a total novice when it comes to online casino slots, we are going to lay this out in a way that will make it stick. Our goal is to explain low variance slots and provide you with a list of the best low volatility slots for your next igaming experience.
What are Low Volatility Slots?
The three basic levels of video slots volatility are low, medium and high and each level creates an in-between space for low-medium and medium-high volatility.
Low variance online slots are known for shaking out more winning combinations within a narrower number of spins. For example, five out of ten spins on a low volatility slot game will result in a win.
There is a general agreement in the casino industry that between 30% and 40% of all spins will put money in your balance when you play low volatility slots. Sometimes more.
For comparison, the hit rate of a highly volatile slot is much lower, perhaps one or two spins out of ten will end up in a win! Sometimes less!
If we can call it that ā the trade-off between low and high volatility slots is in the size of the winning outcomes. Low volatility slot machines have lower maximums. These can range between 500x and 2500x your bet. High variance slots are far more lucrative, but the consistency of big wins is comparably lower.
Other than the crucial differences above, low volatility slots are no different than the rest. These games pack the same style of bonus and bonus buy features youād find on a medium or high volatility game. The bottom line is that players who prefer low variance do so because they want their money to last longer.
Within the odds, there is always the possibility to win big. The downside is that a big win on low variance slot games is notably lower than if you were to crop up on a massive bonus win of a game that can pay up to 20,000x your bet.
Best US Online Casinos for Slot Machines with Low Volatility
In our experience as online casino players, low variance slots come in fewer numbers. There are no two ways about it ā most players love games that can go from zero to 100 in a matter of seconds.
But if you like to bide your time and you prefer to see winning outcomes hit more often than not, then low volatility games are the right choice for you.
We always play at casinos that are legal in the US, meaning, they are licensed by a state gambling control authority and games are checked for fairness by an independent auditor.
You can find an amazing choice of low variance slots right on this page and to play, you just need to click the link to the casino bonus and enter a new venue with style and a hefty bonus in your account.
15 Top Low Volatility Online Slots
| š°Game | šVolatility | šÆRTP | šļøCompany | š°Max Win | š„ļøPlay at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starburst | Low | 96.10% | NetEnt | 500x | BetMGM |
| Esqueleto Explosivo | Low | 96.00% | Thunderkick | 700x | Unibet |
| Reel King Mega | Low | 96.17% | Red Tiger | 500x | Stake.us |
| Jack Hammer | Low | 96.96% | NetEnt | 3000x | FanDuel |
| Wild Scarabs | Low | 96.28% | Games Global | 2600x | BetMGM |
| Dragon Kingdom: Eyes of Fire | Low-Medium | 95.49% | Pragmatic Play | 1250x | Pulsz Casino |
| Dazzle Me | Low | 96.90% | NetEnt | 1520x | BetRivers |
| Elysian Jackpots | Low | 96.00% | Yggdrasil | 1265x | Unibet |
| King Tusk | Low | 96.40% | Games Global | 1500x | Stake.us |
| Zeus the Thunderer | Low | 95.30% | Mascot Gaming | 2000x | Fortune Coins |
| 7s Wild | Low-Medium | 96.00% | IGT | 1000x | Wheel of Fortune Casino |
| Agent Jane Blonde Returns | Low | 96.60% | Stormcraft Studios | 300x | Wheel of Fortune Casino |
| Royal 7 XXL | Low | 96.11% | Gamomat | N/A | 888Casino |
| Booming Bananas | Low | 96.55% | Booming Games | 2422x | Pulsz Casino |
| Split Dragon | Low | 96.50% | High 5 Games | 575x | Tropicana Casino |
Starburst (NetEnt)
NetEnt did something terribly right to make this low-paying game (500x) one of the best low variance slots. Starburst is remarkably low volatile, however, you can get your sampling of big wins thanks to two special features: two-way pay and an expanding Wild symbol which, by the way, triggers respins.
The crisp gems on the screen place you in a space where combos can result in multiple respins. The game was released in 2013 but holds its own to this day. If youāre familiar with casinos, you will find it being a part of free spins reload bonuses at top US casinos.
Esqueleto Explosivo (Thunderkick)
The title of the game reflects the true nature of the gameplay. Even though the max win potential is only 700x your bet, the cascading wins system can trigger explosive rounds of multiple recurring wins.
When you land a win, the skulls of the mariachi start to crop out of the screen and each win accrues a win multiplier. The maximum multiplier that you can reach is 32x the win ā not at all bad for landing six wins in a row. This figure can recur if there are more wins past the sixth.
The best part is that the volatility level allows the system to show its tendency to award frequent wins.
Reel King Mega (Red Tiger)
Reel King is an iconic game that Red Tiger Gaming rehashed in 2019. The gameplay features golden reels that can randomly overlay the standard reels on any given spin. When all five reels become highlighted, the game awards a mini reel that keeps spinning and awards wins as long as there is a winning combo.
The second feature of the game is a randomly appearing Crown that can replace any symbol with a Wild to give you a second chance for a win. Overall, Reel King Megaās two distinct features can provide exciting outcomes, but no greater than 500x your bet.
Jack Hammer (NetEnt)
The game at hand has a long history and a reputation for being one of the most lucrative low volatility slots. The main attractor besides the 3000x max win is the gameplay mechanic.
Symbols that comprise the winning combo stick on the screen while the rest shuffle again. The free spins symbol also sticks to give you a second or third chance to trigger the bonus game ā where all wins have a default multiplier of x3. Jack Hammer has a five-reel layout with three rows and 25 paylines. This provides a perfect playing field for the sticky wins system and makes the low volatility engine really come through.
Wild Scarabs (Games Global)
The game balances a low volatility RNG with a decent max payout of 1733x you bet and for that, it represents one of the rare slots of its kind.
As you are hunting for magical Egyptian amulets on a 243 win-ways payout system, Wild scarabs on reel three add up to four wilds on non-winning spins. This is a great deal because even one wild can interact with the scarab on reel three.
10 free rounds are awarded for three scatters, during which the scarabs are collected on the meter. Overall, the game isnāt all pots and whistles, but does really well with these two interacting features.
Dragon Kingdom: Eyes of Fire (Pragmatic Play)
This is a good example of a game whose volatility level falls between low and medium. The gameplay is a highly-animated dragon-themed adventure on three reels, but with an added reel for win multipliers.
Notably, only two out of eight symbols on the paytable pay less than 1x your bet for a win. This makes Dragon Kingdom: Eyes of Fire likable for its base game potential.
The main takeaway is that non-winning spins are bound to turn around into multipliers as you progress through six levels. The biggest multiplier is 50x, you will see stacked wilds, but sadly, there are no free spins.
Dazzle Me (NetEnt)
Even though the present title has been given a couple of spin-offs already, merited on its popularity, the original game is the most engaging one. Ideal for players who like low-risk spins. Dazzle Me has a funnel-shaped reel set with 76 paylines.
The title is owed to the dazzling performance by the Wild diamonds overlay that can populate between one and five reels. When you get one of these, the low volatility gets snapped by winning outcomes of a decent proportion.
Furthermore, Dazzle Me offers linked reels where the same symbols lock up for the spin and a free spins bonus.
Elysian Jackpots (Yggdrasil)
Yggdrasil offers a five-reel jackpot game with a low variance engine. It is one of the rare of its kind and knowledgeable players have noted the aberration. As you can expect, payouts in the base game arenāt going to be awfully rich, but the two pick-me features and the free rounds bonus can keep your balance alive.
Thankfully, Elysian Jackpots gives you the chance to land default win multipliers of x3 and one of the jackpots during the free spins. While it does take time to collect the jackpot keys, this is a game that you can consider for long-term play when you are cooling off from a highly explosive online slot.
King Tusk (Games Global)
King Tusk looks and feels like an old-school savanna-themed slot. It certainly plays like one too. The elephant wild has been unexpectedly graced with a more robust presence.
Any spin can trigger a stampede which leaves few Wilds in its path. This is to say that the base game can shake out some surprising hits.
The kicker about King Tusk is that you get a choice of three free spins modes. Each mode casts the elephant in a supercharged Wild capacity. Overall, low volatility outcomes and a max win of 1000x bet feels like a sensible package.
Zeus the Thunderer (Mascot Gaming)
Mascot Gaming presents Zeus in a thundering light and with a godly twist on the free spins bonus. Namely, during the free rounds, any win combo featuring Zeus, Hades or Athena adds more free spins.
Considering the high-paying icons of the game are tasked with another job, the cash in Zeus the Thunderer comes by way of all remaining symbols.
This explains the low volatility nature of the game, where thanks to all the extra spins you can get, even small symbols can pile up the coins in your balance.
7s Wilds (IGT)
Donāt let the classical fruit symbols fool you because 7s Wild has a modern extra feature that brings the engine to life. This is a low-medium volatility slot where the sevens act as Wild during the free rounds bonus.
Another boost to your winning odds comes from the two-way-pay mechanic that can also award prizes from right to left across five paylines.
The game has a fan base among land casino players, but youāll be able to find it at online casinos in the US too.
Agent Jane Blonde Returns (Stormcraft Studios)
None of the hard specs on Jane Blonde Returns are attractive enough for anyone to spend too much of their bankroll. The max exposure is only 150x your bet and there are only 15 payines.
On the other hand, the game stays true to its volatility level and does generate payouts with a steady consistency. The low symbol values are compounded by a stacked Wild and you can get sticky Wild respins for only two scatters.
The bottom line is, players choose the game just for kicks and with the hope that it might award two or more sticky expanded Wilds for a prize of 30x bet or more.
Royal Seven XXL (Gamomat)
Here is another classical fruit slot from Gamomat, but this time around, the reel set is expanded to 4Ć5 and 20 paylines. The gameplay is as simple as beans, except all the symbols but the sevens are fruits.
Playing Royal Seven XXL entails hit or miss spins and not much more. If you want to add more pep to the game, you can gamble your winnings in a hit or miss game, or a chance to double the payout.
The main takeaway is that the low variance engine is inclined to award symbol stacks ā sometimes in all the right places.
Booming Bananas (Booming Games)
We donāt mind that there are only three reels on this game because the reel adventure can get dynamic with any spin. The main highlight is the wild win multipliers of x7 on the middle reel.
These can substitute for any except the scatter, so you can have your winnings septa-whatever. The point is, Booming Bananas can go bananas in the base game and there is a free spins bonus.
Worth to emphasize is the fact that every single symbol on the paytable pays a prize, so those dead-spin streaks are minimized thanks to the low volatility engine.
Split Dragon (High 5 Games)
The game at hand is not so cheap to play and many players will feel deterred from exploring it. The minimum bet is 40c per spin. But if you approach it with the attitude of what it can do, the price will make sense.
The dragon symbol steals the spotlight due to its ability to split in as many as 10 symbols across the reels. Thanks to the 40 paylines, there is a lot of coverage as to how many winning combos you can land from a single bet.
Split Dragon has low variance, a 5Ć4 layout and max win of 575x bet ā basically everything for a fun-loving reel adventure.
Guide to Slots Volatility: The 3 Basic Types
To wrap up on the basics of what weāve mentioned throughout our guide, slot games have three volatility levels. These are their basic characteristics:
- Low Volatility Slots: Lower base game wins, better hit frequency, lower maximum exposure, frequently-occurring bonuses. These are the general traits of most low variance games. You can step up to a game with a balance that tends to stay in limbo.
Remember, the āpointā of slots is to wait for a big win that will outdo all of your losses combined. Low volatility slots have lower maximum potential, so they are great if you are a low-stakes player looking for a 1000x or more drop.
- Medium Volatility Slots: The best of both worlds. These games can waver between low and big wins with a hit rate that is generally moderate. A well-made RNG will make an immaculate balance of the outcomes, giving you a better sense about switching your bets around when the time is right.
- High Volatility Slots: These are notoriously explosive, especially when there are two or more base game features; conversely, free spins bonuses on games with multipliers and cascading wins can bring out the craziest wins.
On the other hand, be ready to endure dry spells which can be frustrating when you go about 15 or more spins without getting anything in return. But like we said, the high variance slot is all about the bonus games.
Low vs High Volatility Slot Machines
There are two crucial differences between the two volatility types: the maximum payout and the frequency of the winning outcomes. Highly volatile slots can reach payouts of more 50,000x your bet, however, such maximums are not unseen but are very rare. The following are the main pros and cons between the two levels:
| š°Pros and Cons between High Variance and Low Variance Online Slots | |
|---|---|
| šLow Volatility | šHigh Volatility |
| ā Pro: Consistent Winnings | ā Pro: Massive win potential |
| ā Pro: Longer-lasting bankrolls | ā Pro: Explosive bonus features |
| ā Pro: Perfect fit for new and casual players | ā Pro: Favorite among high-stakes players |
| ā Pro: Tendency to trigger winning streaks | ā Pro: Innovative pay mechanics and features |
| āCon: Low payout maximums | āCon: Dry spells |
| āCon: Low symbol values | āCon: Low win consistency |
| āCon: Big wins are exceedingly rare | āCon: Watch your bankroll! |
Who Should Stick with Low Volatility Online Slots?
Anyone should play at least a few low volatility slots in order to have points for comparison between medium and highly volatile slots. If we may generalize, our recommendation for this variance level goes out to players who donāt like hearing too often the sound of spins building up and falling flat.
With low volatile slots at least you know that your spins will make frequent returns, so that you can strategize with your bankroll by betting low or high, depending on your hunch feeling.
To conclude, these games are not renowned for awarding massive winnings so you wonāt find too many videos like that out there. If you are happy with just landing wins period, you will find appreciation for this category of casino slots.
Is the RTP Still Important?
RTP will always be an important metric relative to the volatility level. While the latter sets the frequency of the winnings, the Return to Player percentage is another way of taking a measure of just how generous the game may be during long-term play.
If the RTP is below 93% and is paired with a low volatility RNG, you will get frequent wins alright but the values will tend to be negligible so as to put you in the driverās seat ā unless the game has an explosive bonus round.
As you can see, it is all very relative when it comes to comparing volatility and RTP, so the best advice we can give is to set your bet to the lowest value and just give your game a trial run. See if it stands up to the specs before you resolve to bide your time and balance for a big win.
How You Can Discover Your Slots Volatility
This is why we are here ā to lay down the details so that you donāt have to play any guessing games at online casinos or do your research on Google. Our best 15 low variance slot games state the volatility level, which is not the case with most online casinos.
If you want to find out the volatility of a game that is not on the list, you need to navigate to the paytable or help section on the slot game of your choice. Then look for the specs, which may or may not be stated by the game provider.
FAQās
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Are low volatility slots good?Slots with low variance tend to trigger payouts at regular intervals, unlike highly volatile slots. Generally, the games are fun to play and offer the same kinds of bonus features as any other game. The main drawback is that chances for landing a massive win are extremely low.
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Which slots volatility level is the best?Low volatility slots have their place in the world of online casinos. Many people prefer to play low variance slots because they can award small payouts but at a consistent rate.
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What is the main drawback of low volatility slots?Simply put, it is the small maximum potential that makes low variance slots less appealing to casino players. On the other hand, these games are excellent for those who are new to online slots or have lower bankrolls at their disposal.
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What is the ideal volatility level for online slots?Medium volatility levels provide the best of both worlds as payouts take a middle road in terms of consistency and size. Any medium volatility slot can trigger multiple big wins at intervals that are between low and high volatility.
