Right now, high variance slots are some of the hottest games available at UK casinos. For the uninitiated, variance is a term that refers to the variation from the average payout that a player will experience during a session playing a slot game. High variance games swing wildly from a very low payout where a long sequence of spins bring no reward, to a high payout, where in quick succession big value wins are churned out one after the other. This makes high variance slots very risky to play – more often than not you will burn through your bankroll quickly and get nothing back. But occasionally you’ll get very lucky and experience a big, big win.

In the last five years these high-risk gambling games have grown in popularity thanks to a new wave of titles that started with Big Time Gaming’s famous Megaways™ series back in 2016. Since then, more young studios have come forward with innovative creative edge to produce games with huge win potential, new and exciting themes, and thrilling gameplay.

Here we look at three of the best new high variance slots to arrive in summer 2020. If you want to find more to try, check out this list of new slot games, updated weekly.

Star Clusters Mega Clusters by Big Time Gaming

Having revolutionised standard reel slots with their Megaways™ game engine, Big Time Gaming have turned their imaginations to another game format: grid slots. These games require players to form clusters of identical symbols to score a win. Typically, five or more identical symbols in adjacent positions on a grid will trigger a payout. When this happens, winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in to replace them, potentially creating further wins. BTG have adapted this in Star Clusters, so that if you score 5 wins in a row then the grid expands from 4×4 to 8×8 creating more win potential. Players also receive 5 free spins at this point. Further excitement is added by extra Wilds and Multipliers of up to 10x.

Star Clusters has already caused a stir and is proving hugely popular amongst slots fans. It is reputed to have a top payout of over 23,000x the value of a player’s stake which makes it a very high potential game. Stakes start at 20p and the game has an RTP (Theoretical Return to Player) of 96.54%.

Beat the Beast: Mighty Sphinx Sphinx By Thunderkick

In early 2020, Swedish game developer Thunderkick, announced their Beat the Beast series of games would be released throughout 2020. This is a group of high variance games, each fronted by a mythical monster or beast that the game narrative is built around. Mighty Sphinx is one of the best of those slots. With typically strong artwork inspired by the Egyptian theme, Mighty Sphinx also packs a punch as players must land three or more Sphinx emblems to unleash the free spins round where all the big payouts can be triggered. It’s a really simple slot with added Wild Upgrades that can push the odds of hitting a big win close to the top payout of 4,444x.

Mighty Sphinx can be played from 10p per spin and has an RTP of 96.14%.

Book of Shadows By Nolimit City

Another awesome high variance slot to try this summer is Nolimit City’s Book of Shadows. Nolimit City are a new and exciting game studio who specialise in this kind of high-risk gaming. Book of Shadows is a horror-themed game that takes its cue from the Book of … series of slots first made famous by Play n Go’s Book of Dead. The key to this one, aside from its slick and eye-catching artwork, is the simplicity of the gameplay. The thrills and spills are largely reserved for the bonus round which is set up by landing three or more Book symbols. When this happens 10 free spins are awarded and one symbol from the pay table is chosen as the special one for the round. When this one lands, so it expands to the full height of the reel to give more chance of scoring a win. It is possible in this way to hit a full screen of the top paying symbol and trigger the game’s top payout of 30,338x.

Book of Shadows can be played from 10p per spin and has an RTP of 96.01%.

These are our choice of the best high variance games this summer. You can try any of them at most UK slot sites and casinos. Remember to have fun and gamble responsibly.