You might have encountered the term “Hit Frequency” on slots when reading about slot games on sites like CasinoWizard, forums or when discussing slots with other players.

So what does this mean, and how will this affect our gaming experience when playing online slots?

We will dig into and clarify these questions and more in this article.

Slots Hit Frequency = How often you will win something

A slot’s hit frequency refers to how often you will win something in a slot game.

A win could mean anything from tiny wins of 10% of your stake to the slot’s max win.

For example, a popular slot like Wanted Dead or a Wild from game studio Hacksaw Gaming has a hit frequency rate of 19.3%.

This means that almost 1 in 5 spins on average in this game will lead to some sort of win.

A Hit Frequency can also refer to how often a slot’s bonus game/free spins are triggered. However, this is commonly called “Free Spins Frequency” not to confuse things.

Here are some examples of how often free spins are triggered on average on these well-liked online slots:

• Gates of Olympus (Pragmatic Play): 1 in 448 spins.
• San Quentin xWays (Nolimit City): 1 in 230 spins.
• Big Bass Bonanza (Pragmatic Play): 1 in 113 spins.
• Sugar Rush (Pragmatic Play): 1 in 323 spins.
• Fire In The Hole xBomb (Nolimit City): 1 in 200 spins.
• The Dog House Megaways (Pragmatic Play): 1 in 372 spins.

Popular slots Hit Frequencies

Let’s look at more examples of how often wins happen on some favourite slots found in online casinos’ most popular slot lists.

Hit Frequency:

• Chaos Crew (Hacksaw Gaming): 23.40%
• Starburst (NetEnt): 22.6%
• Sugar Rush (Pragmatic Play): 34%
• San Quentin xWays (Nolimit City): 34.25%
• CherryPop (AvatarUX): 22%
• Book of Power (Relax Gaming): 30.70%
• Katmandu Gold (ELK Studios): 22.4%
• Fire In The Hole (Nolimit City): 25.98%
• Temple Tumble Megaways (Relax Gaming): 24.76%
• Shark Frenzy (Slotmill): 31.47%
• The Dog House Megaways (Pragmatic Play): 23%
• Cygnus 3 (ELK Studios): 26%
• Fruit Shop Megaways (NetEnt): 17.31%

This sample gives you a good idea of the Hit Frequency percentages on famous slots from various game studios.

The average Hit Frequency on slots is usually between 20% – 30%.

Why is Hit Frequency important?

The Hit Frequency is an essential factor for game studios when they create a game, as the mathematics needs to add up while providing an entertaining user experience for the player.

If the Hit Frequency is too low, a player might get bored quickly as too few wins happen during a game session. On the other hand, if a hit frequency is too high, too many small wins are being handed out, lowering the excitement of the game.

The hit frequency of a slot needs to have an excellent balance to fit the game’s theme, volatility, and overall user experience.

Is it better to play slots with a higher Hit Frequency?

The short answer is no. It is not better to play slots with a higher hit frequency.

Let’s look at two examples.

Starburst is a perfect slot for players looking for a low-volatile game (less risky).

More minor to medium-sized wins are handed out in this slot, but only a smaller max win potential of 500x the bet size is on offer.

The low max win cap compensates for the more frequent medium-sized wins handed out as the maths needs to add up.

A slot can’t give out frequent decent-sized wins while offering a vast max win, as one or the other has to give.

Although Starburst is considered one of the most popular slots for casual players, where you often get longer entertainment time with your deposit compared to riskier slots, the hit frequency on Starburst is only 22.6% or slightly more than 1 in 5 spins.

Starburst is one of the most played online slots ever, so that hit frequency clearly worked well on this game.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have a slot like San Quentin xWays where the max win is 150,000x your stake.

With a huge max win potential like this, you might assume that the hit frequency on San Quentin xWays would be quite low. Maybe even lower than on Starburst to compensate for the high max win potential? But no, this is not the case, as the hit frequency on this slot is 34.25%, or about a win on every third spin, on average.

How can this be?

San Quentin xWays is a risky slot as the volatility is rated as very high and it is one of the biggest max win slots ever made. This means your bankroll will run out faster on this slot than Starburst, on average.

The reason is that although you win more often on San Quentin xWays, the wins are smaller on average to compensate for the huge max win on offer.

A high hit frequency doesn’t mean that a slot is better to play on. Instead, you should look at factors like the volatility setting, the slot theme, and the features, as these factors can tell if a certain slot fits what you like or not.

Once you have found a slot that ticks these boxes, you should always play on the High-RTP version of a slot. Most slots are created with various RTP levels, and the higher the RTP, the more chances you get on average to hit a big win or trigger the bonus game/free spins.

Is the Hit Frequency important when playing with bonuses?

When wagering a casino bonus, the hit frequency can be of higher importance.

The reason is that you aim to wager a bonus enough times to clear the wagering requirements so that the bonus becomes “real funds” that you can withdraw or continue to play with.

When playing with a bonus, you want to hit as many wins as possible (and ideally some big ones) to avoid running out of funds before the bonus is wagering. If the hit frequency is very low, you may go through a dry streak that affects your objects negatively.

For example, if you “waste” 20-30 spins without a win at the final stage before the wagering is completed, you may lose a significant amount of your profit. 

In the end, the effect is still quite marginal but can make a difference when trying to complete the wagering requirements of a casino bonus.

Does a slot’s Hit Frequency affect the RTP?

A slot’s hit frequency does not affect the slot’s return To Player (RTP) percentage.

The long-term and average RTP is fixed and unaffected by a higher or lower hit frequency.

However, a lower RTP can give out smaller wins on average compared to a high RTP version of a slot.  

How to find the Hit Frequency info on online slots?

During our research, we concluded that game studios and online casinos do not share the hit frequency information in the game sheets.

Instead, you find general and detailed information about how the game is played, the RTP info, and the max win potential in each slot game sheet.

The hit frequency rates and free spins frequency numbers are details that the game developers only share with online casino operators and some media partners.

However, not all game studios share the Hit Frequency rates but instead, keep this info to themselves.

When we come across the hit and free spins frequency information, we share it in our slot reviews here on CasinoWizard.com.

Hit Frequency summary

There you have it; that’s how hit frequencies on slot games work.

A high hit frequency does not lead to a better slot experience or higher overall wins. Instead, a range of combined factors decides whether a slot becomes popular.

Game studios constantly experiment and test different hit frequencies to find the magic formula for players to enjoy.

Some games require a high hit frequency to become enjoyable, while others work better with a lower percentage.

The exception to this is when you play with a casino bonus and aim to clear the wagering requirements. In these cases, playing on a slot with a higher hit frequency combined with a decent RTP percentage can be more beneficial.

As long as you stick to playing slots on reliable online casinos that offer games from leading game studios, you can rest assured that you play fair games with an acceptable hit frequency that leads to an entertaining game session.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hit Frequency