Hotline 2 Slot Review

Hotline 2 Review

Hotline 2 from NetEnt takes the original crime themed slot back to 1980s Miami, with five reels and three rows that can stretch to a 3x6x6x6x3 layout in free spins. You start with 243 ways to win, which can rise to 1,944. The default RTP peaks around 96.05%, dropping slightly with fewer hotlines active, while volatility sits in the medium bracket. Stakes run from very small wagers up to 150 per spin, with a maximum payout near 6,666 times your bet.

From my sessions, Hotline 2 feels closer to medium high because the best hits tend to sit in the free spins with expanded reels and multiple wild columns. The hit rate sits around one win every four or five spins, so the balance moves up and down but never felt erratic. The hotline mechanic lets you trade risk for more expanding wilds, which suits both cautious players on single hotlines and aggressive ones willing to triple the stake.

How we tested Hotline 2

When I put Hotline 2 through its paces, I started by reading the paytable and checking how the hotline levels change the RTP range and stake. I tested the minimum and higher bets, used autoplay for longer stretches, and mixed standard spins with bonus buys. I kept a close eye on hit frequency in the base game versus free spins, and I played on both desktop and mobile to see how the graphics and soundtrack held up over a few hundred spins.

Hotline 2 Symbols & Payouts

Hotline 2 uses ten regular symbols that all fit the story. The four character symbols sit at the top, led by Kitty Weiss, paying 2x, 5x and 8x your stake for three, four or five of a kind. Detective Quinn follows at 1.5x, 3x and 5x, with Detective Riviera at 1x, 2x and 4x. The headset wearing officer pays 0.7x, 1.5x and 3x. Six pieces of jewellery cover the lower wins from 0.1x up to 2.5x for five on a way.

Wins use the ways system rather than fixed paylines, so you need at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels from the left. The wild symbol shows the car chase scene and lands on reels two, three and four. It substitutes for every regular symbol and, when it hits a hotline, it can expand to fill the reel. The neon flamingo scatter only appears on the three middle reels and three of them award seven free spins, wherever they land.

Kitty Weiss across all positions is where the big headline figures come from, with potential payouts around £777,600 at maximum stake advertised in some game sheets. In practice, most sessions are driven by regular hits on the gems and occasional character clusters. The theoretical RTP varies slightly with one, two or three hotlines active, hovering between roughly 94% and 96%. From a player’s point of view, full three hotline play gives the best long term value, but it also multiplies your overall stake.

Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	5	x8
	4	x5
	3	x2
	5	x5
	4	x3
	3	x1.5
	5	x4
	4	x2
	3	x1
	5	x3
	4	x1.5
	3	x0.7
	5	x2.5
	4	x1.2
	3	x0.6
	5	x1.5
	4	x1
	3	x0.5
	5	x1.2
	4	x0.8
	3	x0.4
	5	x1
	4	x0.6
	3	x0.3
	5	x0.6
	4	x0.4
	3	x0.2
	5	x0.4
	4	x0.2
	3	x0.1
	Scatter

Game Features in Hotline 2

The hotline feature is the core mechanic in Hotline 2. By default, reel three is marked as a hotline, and any wild landing there can turn into an expanding wild and cover the whole reel when it forms a win. You can activate extra hotlines using the keypad below the reels. Doubling the bet turns reel four into another hotline, while tripling the stake also switches reel two on, giving you three central reels that can host expanding wilds in the base game.

Three flamingo scatters on reels two, three and four trigger seven free spins. During free spins, wilds on those centre reels always expand and also increase the height of that reel by one symbol, up to six rows. As reels grow, the ways to win climb from 243 up to 1,944 when all three are fully extended. A non hotline reel that reaches full height awards one extra spin, while a hotline at max height gives two, so you can reach up to thirteen spins in total. If you do not want to wait, there is a bonus buy, where you can pay 20x, 40x or 60x your stake to start free spins with one, two or three hotlines active.

Hotline 2 Graphics & Sound

Visually, Hotline 2 sticks closely to the original slot, with a twilight Miami street behind the reels, glowing palms and neon lights framing the crime story. Character symbols are drawn in a sharp 2D comic style and spring to life with small touches like nods or gestures when they form wins, while expanding wilds trigger slick car chase clips. The soundtrack leans on 80s synth and sax, backed by sirens and police radio chatter, which helps sell the television series feel on both desktop and mobile.

Verdict on Hotline 2

As a sequel, Hotline 2 keeps the spirit of the first game but tightens the maths and adds more potential through expanding reels in free spins. The hotline system still carries the gameplay, and expanding wilds across two or three middle reels can produce strong chains of ways wins. Medium volatility with a hit rate near twenty percent gives a mix of small jewellery hits and more meaningful character clusters, so the game rarely feels flat for long stretches.

From my perspective, Hotline 2 suits anyone who enjoys feature rich video slots without endless side games. The rules are easy to grasp, yet the decision about how many hotlines to activate gives some control over risk. Triple bet play with all hotlines can eat a bankroll fast, so I prefer to switch between one and two hotlines depending on how the session is going. Treated sensibly, the slot offers long, entertaining play with genuine shots at sizeable multi thousand times wins.

Screenshots