Top 10 Best High Variance Online Slots

High variance online slots attract a particular type of gambler willing to take more significant risks for a chance to win massive amounts of money.

High variance slots are growing increasingly popular every day, offering players excitement, big thrills, and even bigger jackpots.

It is no surprise that new high-variance slots are released all the time: the demand is there, and where there is demand, there is a market. Every self-respecting casino software provider offers at least one high-variance slot in their game portfolio, and most have a whole range of High Variance Slots.

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A high variance slot can pay far greater amounts than a low or medium variance slot. A low or medium variance slot might offer players a top award of 250x – 500x the total bet. High variance slots will allow players to win 5,000x, 10,000x, or even over 100,000x their initial stake.

And big wins are exactly what fans of high variance slots are looking for – no messing about with bonus rounds that pay out 100x the stake at the most.

Here are our top 10 best online high-variance slots

We have compiled a top 10 list of best online high variance slots. These online slots are very popular among high-risk players and offer a thrilling, exhilarating experience with enormous win potential. You can play these high-variance slots at any of our top 10 online casinos or top slot sites in the UK.

1. Book of Dead – Play ‘n Go

Return to player: 96.76%

The Book of Dead slot by Play ‘n Go was released in 2016 and quickly became the most-played high-variance slot. This ten win line, Egyptian themed slot was heavily inspired by the famous Novomatic slot Book of Ra. It offers players an exciting free spins bonus with scatters, wilds and expanding symbols.

One random symbol is awarded before the free spins bonus starts – this is your special symbol. This special symbol becomes a scatter symbol during the free spins and expands across the whole reel. The maximum payout during the bonus round is an incredible 50.000 x your bet per win line!

Play Book of Dead with a 100% bonus up to £111

Please see Yeti Casino's bonus terms and conditions 18+, new customers only, please gamble responsibly. www.begambleaware.org


2. Dead or Alive – Netent

Return to player: 96.80%

Dead or Alive is one of the most infamous high variance slots and was created by Netent. The game is based on a bland Wild West theme and offers nine win lines, wilds and a free spins bonus. This might not sound too exciting, but Dead or Alive comes to life during the free spins bonus round.

Whenever three or more scatters appear during the base game, the player is awarded 12 free spins with a 2x multiplier. Every wild symbol on the reels during the free games becomes sticky.

If you get at least one wild symbol on all five reels, you will be awarded 5 extra free spins. Every active full wild line is good for 1,500 x your line bet. Trigger the bonus with 5 scatters, and you are looking at 2,500 times your total stake. Dead or Alive can pay out huge wins: bonus round wins of 10.000x or even 12.000x the total stake have been reported.

Play Dead or Alive with 100% bonus up to £100


3. Immortal Romance – Microgaming

Return to player: 96.86%

When Microgaming first released their Twilight-inspired and epic Immortal Romance slot in 2011, players loved the beautiful graphics, fantastic soundtrack and exciting bonus features. This 243 ways-to-win high variance slot was an instant hit and remains one of today's most-played slots.

One of the bonus features, the Wild Desire feature, can turn all five reels wild, leading to a maximum possible payout of 3,645,000 coins when playing the maximum bet. The other bonus features can also bring home the bacon, making Immortal Romance a delight to play.

Play Immortal Romance with a 100% bonus up to £100


4. Jurassic Park – Microgaming

Return to player: 96.67%

The Jurassic Park movie franchise is one of the most successful ever. Who hasn't watched those jaw-dropping, lifelike dinosaurs on the big screen? It was only a matter of time before a software developer would snatch up the rights to make a Jurassic Park slot machine, complete with roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptors?

Microgaming launched the high variance slot version of Jurassic Park in 2014, and wow, what a great slot it has proven to be.

It offers 243 ways to win, stacked symbols, a random T-Rex feature, extra wilds and multipliers that go up to 6x. Jurassic Park is filled to the brim with exciting bonus features and offers players a high variance, beautifully designed experience, complete with actual movie footage.

Play Jurassic Park with a 100% bonus up to £100


Raging Rhino high variance slot5. Raging Rhino – WMS

Return to player: 95.91%

Raging Rhino is the first WMS slot on this top 10 of high variance online slots and is undoubtedly one of the most played WMS slots. Raging Rhino is found in casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City and online casinos. To say Raging Rhino is a cool slot may be somewhat of an understatement. It offers players a thrilling experience with 6 reels, 4 rows and 4,096 ways to win. There are stacked symbols, wilds, and multipliers up to 81x (during the bonus round) to make things even more enjoyable.

Three or more scattered diamonds will trigger the free spins bonus round and award up to 50 initial free spins. During the free spins, the Tree symbol plays a critical role. It acts as both the wild symbol and a 2x or 3x multiplier. If you catch several wilds/multipliers and a high-paying stacked symbol, your winnings can go through the roof.

Two scattered diamonds retrigger the bonus and award 5 extra free spins. As with many other WMS slots, Raging Rhino has a Bonus Guarantee feature built-in – you are guaranteed a 10x your stake payout with every bonus round triggered. You can play the fantastic Raging Rhino slot with a minimum stake of 40p and a maximum bet size of £120 per spin.

Play Raging Rhino with a 100% bonus up to £111


6. The Wish Master – NetEnt

Return to player: 96.60%

The Wish Master is a unique and delightful high-variance slot by Netent. It offers some unique features, including unlimited booster spins, where up to three bonus boosters may apply for every spin. These boosters can contain various extra features, such as random wilds, extra wilds, expanding wilds, multipliers, etc.

Every retrigger awards 6 extra free spins, with features stacked on top of each other. With the right combination (for example, random wilds, expanding wilds and 3x multiplier), it is possible to catch some massive wins.

This popular slot revolves around a “Genie in the Bottle” theme, where the Genie in question awards the player with free spins and extra features. There are 20 win lines, 5 reels and 3 rows. The minimum bet is 20p per spin, but to hit the jackpot, you should be betting at least 60p. The maximum bet is £120 per spin, with a maximum jackpot of no less than 900,000 coins.

The Wish Master is capable of paying out massive amounts of money. Be advised that you do need a lot of luck and patience with this slot; it can be very frustrating, just the same. Make sure your starting balance is high enough to get you through those inevitable long series of dead spins.

Play The Wish Master with a 100% bonus up to £100


7. Montezuma – WMS

Return to player: 95.86%

Visually nothing short of gorgeous, the Aztec-themed Montezuma online slot is another big winner from WMS. This 30 win line, 5 reel, high variance slot has got it all: the looks, the wow factor and the ever-present potential for big wins. Huge wins.

Three or more scatters trigger the free spins bonus for up to 25 free spins. During every free spin, you are given a multiplier up to 10x. But that is not what makes Montezuma the great slot that it is. It offers players a unique way to retrigger free spins – you only need two scatters to win up to 25 more free spins. And what's even better: you keep the multiplier for the duration of those extra free spins and any further free spins that you retrigger while on that multiplier.

It is possible to amass tens or even hundreds of free spins at a 3x, 5x or even 10x multiplier. We don't know what will if that doesn't get your adrenaline level up.

Play Montezuma with a 100% bonus up to £100


8. Cazino Zeppelin – Yggdrasil

Return to player: 96.00%

Some have described Cazino Zeppelin by Yggdrasil as a Dead or Alive clone, but that is not enough credit for this visually stunning high-variance slot with very smooth gameplay.

The theme is Victorian Steam Punk, there are 20 win lines (a big difference compared to that “other one”), and it is possible to win up to 20 free spins. Any wild that appears on the screen as the bonus is triggered and during the free spins becomes a sticky wild for the whole duration. Get a wild symbol on every reel, and you will win 5 more free spins – even bigger wins.

Cazino Zeppelin is a beautiful, fast-paced slot that is our go-to slot whenever we want to play a high-variance slot that is pleasing to the eye and capable of providing big wins. Bonus payouts of 3,000x up to 5,000x occur frequently.

Play Cazino Zeppelin with a 100% bonus up to £100


300 shields high variance slot nextgen9. 300 Shields – Nextgen

Return to player: 95.3%

300 Shields by Nextgen is based on the epic battle between 300 well-trained Spartan soldiers and a huge Persian army. This slot offers thrill-seeking slot players an unusual premise: a multiplier of 300x. This is the highest multiplier we have ever seen on a slot machine. It is reached by collecting shields in the bonus round – find enough of them, and you will win free spins with that enormous 300x multiplier (on wins with a wild symbol).

  • Collect 2 to 5 shields during the free spins for 5 extra free spins and a 5x multiplier.
  • Collect 6 to 11 shields during the free spins for 5 extra free spins with all Warrior (wild) wins subject to a 25x multiplier.
  • Collect 12 or more shields for 5 extra free spins with all warrior wins subject to a staggering 300x multiplier.

Getting the 300x multiplier does not happen every day, but it can certainly be done. Make it to the end, and epic wins will follow.

Play 300 Shields with a 100% bonus up to £100


10. Gonzo’s Quest – Netent

Return to player: 96,00%

Following Starburst, Gonzo's Quest by Netent might be Netent's second-most-played slot. Where Starburst is a typical low-variance slot, Gonzo's Quest is anything but low-variance.

Gonzo's Quest offers players appealing graphics, avalanche symbols, a free spins bonus, and multipliers up to 15x. And let's not forget Gonzo's antics as he cheers you, even treating you to the occasional moonwalk. Up to 20 free spins can be won, and they can also be retriggered.

Gonzo's Quest has become such a popular slot that scores of clones have been developed – but none have the charm and magic that Gonzo's Quest has.

Play Gonzos Quest with a 100% bonus up to £100


High variance versus a high return to player

High variance is not the same as a high return to player (RTP). The return to player is a percentage that depicts how much the slot machine will pay back to the player, calculated on average over an extended period. The slot's variance is more focused on the short-term and is a good indicator of the “risk” involved with that slot machine. Simply put,  a low variance slot machine is a “low risk” slot machine, which offers lots of small wins and a medium win now and then.

A high variance slot is a “high-risk” machine. It will not pay out many winning combinations but will award a massive win from time to time.

Always playing slots with a high RTP is also recommended whether you prefer low-variance or high-variance slots. If the RTP of a slot is 97%, out of every £100 put into the machine, £97 will be paid back to the player on average over an extended period.

Why do players like to play high-variance slots?

Some casino players have a strong preference for high-variance slots. These players know and accept the increased risk of high variance slots in exchange for a genuine chance of hitting a monster payout. They know that they might not win most of the time, but they will hit a mega jackpot sometimes. It is for this reason that Megaways slots are so popular in 2022. Most online slots with the Megaways engine are high in variance and offer exciting gameplay and rewards.

Play high-variance slots

This top 10 list of high-variance slots will hopefully inspire you if you are looking for a new, high-variance slot to play. Each of these slots is unique, with original themes, exciting bonus games and stunning graphics.

The one thing that binds them together is that they are all high-risk slots and can produce incredible wins of over 10,000 x your stake.

Don't forget, you can use your PayPal cash to play high-variance slots too. Find our list of the top PayPal casinos here.

Our picks for the best UK online casino to play high variance slots:

RankCasinoRatingBonusReview
1 Dream Vegas Casino £Review
2 Casimba £200Review
3 Yeti Casino £111Review
4 Playzee Casino £300Review
5 Fun Casino £123Review