Adjustable Volatility Feature Explained + Best 5 Slots
Volatility (along with RTP and Hit frequency) is a crucial parameter of any slot game. It affects gaming experience in a big way (learn more about volatility and its types), so everybody should establish it before trying out a new slot.
However, have you known that some video slots let us, players, change the volatility level basically on the fly? The slots, which allow to do so, are called Adjustable volatility slots. Though it is fair to say that the Adjustable volatility feature is not too widespread in the industry (yet?), and there are not too many products on the market with custom volatility level.
Best Paying (RTP) Online Slots with Custom Volatility
Full list of slots with custom volatility
Anyway, Adjustable volatility is definitely an interesting feature so let’s discuss it in more detail, including:
how exactly it works
top 5 slots with adjustable volatility level
its impact on RTP and Hit frequency, and some other questions you may ask
How does adjustable volatility feature work?
Adjustable volatility feature is quite straightforward and can be introduced in two different ways:
- Either a slot game asks you at the very beginning what volatility level you would like to have. As it is shown on the screenshot below.
- Or you need to adjust volatility level during the base game by yourself. This is a less convenient approach, I would say, because some casino players do not even know that a slot has such options in place. Let’s see how it looks.
Anyway, in both cases you can change the volatility level later on (during the base game), and actually do it as many times as you want. The only rule is that volatility level can not be changed while the reels are spinning (during an active round), for obvious reasons.
Now, as we have learnt how to adjust the volatility, let’s talk about what different volatility levels in such slots might mean:
In some slots (like Victorious), it means that the maximum possible win varies significantly for different volatility levels. For example, you can win up to x1,500 of your stake during the classic mode, and x7,500 if you play it in “max” (or high volatility) mode, which is a huge difference.
In other slots (the majority of Wazdan products), the maximum possible win stays the same, does not matter what volatility level you have preferred. Instead, a slot adjusts how frequently you are going to get big wins. In low volatility mode you can expect more frequent prizes, but smaller in size. And in high volatility mode, your wins are going to be bigger, but less frequent.
Top 5 Slots where you can adjust the volatility level
Victorious Max (Netent)
Play Victorious Max for real money
Victorious is a super popular casino slot produced by Netent in 2011. It has got quite a high RTP level of 96.88%, and you can be sure it is there since Netent is the gold standard of the industry. Later on the slot has been remade twice. At first it got its paytable upgraded to 243 paylines, and finally, Adjustable volatility feature was introduced.
Paylines: 243 RTP: 96.88% Volatility: 2 levels (medium or high) Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum possible win: x1,500 (classic mode) or x7,500 (max mode)
Larry the Leprechaun (Wazdan)
Play Larry the Leprechaun for real money
Larry the Leprechaun (Wazdan) is a good choice for those of you who like low volatility games. Even though the slot allows to adjust its volatility (to set it even high), it is still a low volatile slot, because of small (by any standards) maximum possible win (very modest x350).
Paylines: No RTP: 96.47% Volatility: Low in general (adjustable) Free spins: Yes Multiplier: No
Maximum possible win: x350 of your stake
Relic Hunters and the Book of Faith (Wazdan)
Play Relic Hunters and the Book of Dead for real money
Relic Hunters and the Book of Faith is another Wazdan product. Even though the slot has got a rather classic layout (6 reels and 3 rows), it looks quite modern. An interesting fact that paylines pay both ways, which is not a common thing to have.
Paylines: 20 (pay both ways) RTP: 96.37% Volatility: Medium-Low in general (adjustable) Free spins: Yes Multiplier: No
Maximum possible win: x750 of your stake
Choco Reels (Wazdan)
Play Choco Reels for real money
Choco Reels is a candy themed Wazdan slot. What makes it special is 46,656 paylines available (called Megaways feature). On top of that, the maximum possible win here is much bigger than the previous two slots have, it equals x5,000 of your total bet. The volatility level of this game (even though it is adjustable) tends to be rather high due to such a big maximum win.
Paylines: 46,656 RTP: 96.22% Volatility: Medium-High in general (adjustable) Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum possible win: x5,000 of your stake
Power of Gods: Egypt (Wazdan)
Play Power of Gods: Egypt for real money
Power of Gods: Egypt is an Ancient Egypt themed slot, released by Wazdan in 2020. It comes with innovative 243 paylines (called 243 ways to win feature). The slot stands out among others as it allows you to win really big (x8,000 of your stake). Moreover, it has the buy bonus game feature (costs x45 or x60 of your total bet). However, please be aware, even though Power of Gods: Egypt let you adjust its volatility, there are some limits to that. It has a high volatility level in general.
Paylines: 243 RTP: 96.19% Volatility: High in general (adjustable) Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum possible win: x8,000 of your bet
Top software providers with adjustable volatility slots in the portfolio
There are very few software providers that implement Adjustable volatility feature:
Wazdan introduces this feature in all its new slots, which is called “ Volatility levels”, the company’s trademark by the way.
Netent has released only the Victorious slot so far, and they call this feature “Max”. Also the company has created a separate slot with higher than normal volatility. The game is called BerryBurst Max, and it is served to players as a completely new product (you can either play BerryBurst or BerryBurst Max, but each time in order to change the volatility level, you have to open the corresponding slot).
How does Adjustable volatility affect RTP and Winning hit frequency
RTP and Winning hit frequency, along with Volatility itself, are the main parameters of an online slot.
Adjustable volatility’s impact on RTP
The feature does not affect RTP in any way. These two parameters co-exist absolutely independently. So to speak, there are adjustable volatility slots with relatively high RTP and there are some with not so great RTP.
Adjustable volatility’s impact on Winning hit frequency
This is the place where the impact is huge. Adjustable volatility feature has direct effect on Winning hit frequency. The higher volatility level you have set, the less frequently you are going to get winnings (around 20%), but the size of the winnings becomes bigger at the same time. The lower volatility level will result in more frequent winnings (30-40%), but smaller in size.
Some other questions you may ask
Between how many volatility levels I can choose? In Wazdan adjustable volatility slots there are 3 levels available: High, Medium, and Low. In Netent games, there are either classic mode (whatever volatility level the slot has) or “Max” mode, which means higher level of volatility.
Does it affect chances to win? Yes, it has a great impact on Winning hit frequency and on chances to win, as a result of it.
Does it really make any difference when I change the volatility level? It is really hard to estimate in Wazdan games, but in Netent adjustable slots it makes a huge difference (maximum possible win becomes 5 times more).
Do adjustable volatility slots pay well? In terms of RTP, adjustable volatility slots are quite decent (I have not come across RTP lower than 96% so far). In terms of maximum possible win, there are high paying games with adjustable volatility level on the market (x8,000+ of your stake).
Final thoughts
Top online casinos with adjustable volatility slots
Pros of adjustable volatility slots:
Flexibility in gaming experience
Often are products of top-notch software providers (Netent, Wazdan). You can be sure that RNG is not rigged
Decent RTP in general
Often are new games. Graphics and sound have a high level of quality.
Cons of adjustable volatility slots:
Not too many options on the market
It is not really clear how adjustable volatility level works (how much it affects volatility)
Summing up, Adjustable volatility level is a cool feature to have, especially if you like playing some particular game, but would like to change its volatility settings from time to time.
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