If you fancy some fast-paced betting action, NetEnt’s Hotline 2 may be just the right game for you to try. The sequel to the studio’s eponymous release from 2018 has been given some serious upgrades as it offers 243 ways to win and a bonus buy feature. The number of winning ways jumps to 1,944 during a free spins round that unfolds across special expanding reels.
Just like its predecessor, the action-packed sequel comes with an innovative Hotline feature that boosts your odds of landing expanding wilds with larger bets. The maximum possible win in this Miami Vice-inspired slot reaches 5,184 times the stake in free spins mode. Continue reading our detailed Hotline 2 review to learn what Detectives Riviera and Quinn are up to this time.
| Hotline 2 Slot Summary | |
 Game Provider: NetEnt |
Release Date: 2018 |
| Game Type: Video Slot |
Theme(s): Gems, Robbery |
| Reels: 5 |
Wild Symbols: Yes |
| Rows: 3 |
Scatters: Yes |
| Paylines: 243 ways to win |
Free Spins: Yes |
| Payout/RTP: 96.05% |
Bonus Game: No |
| Volatility Level: Low-Med |
Progressive Jackpot: No |
| Min Bet: 0.10 |
Autoplay: Yes |
| Max Bet: 50 |
Max Win: 5184x |
Hotline 2 Theme
Hotline 2 is heavily influenced by popular action flicks from the eighties such as Lethal Weapon and Miami Vice. The reels rotate against a backdrop with a sultry beachside sunset and palm trees on either side of the layout. A mock-eighties soundtrack plays in the background, with police sirens howling occasionally.
In a typical retro-action-movie fashion, the storyline in Hotline 2 revolves around two cop partners who couldn’t be more different from each other. Perhaps you are already familiar with Detectives Riviera and Quinn if you have played the original Hotline.
This time around, the two cops return to investigate a robbery in a Miami jewelry store and are hot on the trail of femme fatale Kitty Weiss, who also happens to be a criminal mastermind. Everything about this game screams the eighties, from the three characters’ questionable fashion decisions to their flash cars and the cringy retro music playing in the background.
How Hotline 2 Compares to Other Slot Games
Hotline 2 shares a number of similarities with the original release where graphics and sounds are concerned. Both games come with NetEnt’s trademark Hotline functionality, free spins, and expanding wilds but the sequel gives you the option to buy your way into the bonus feature instead of waiting for the scatters to unlock it. There is also a bonus bet that allows you to activate up to three Hotline reels to increase your chances of landing expanding wilds. The sequel is better suited for players on a budget due to its lower volatility.
More Slots with an Action Theme
- Knight Rider by NetEnt
- Max Win W.P.D. by iSoftBet
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation by Skywind
- 60 Seconds Heist by Yggdrasil Gaming
Hotline 2 Symbols and Payouts
Unlike the original that awards payouts across 30 paylines only, Hotline 2 can produce as many as 243 winning combinations per single spin and this number increases to 1,944 during the free spins feature. The game rewards you with a payout whenever you manage to land matching symbols in any position on three or more adjacent reels, from left to right. You can expect this to occur often as Hotline 2 is on the lower side of the volatility spectrum.
Criminal mastermind Kitty Weiss awards the largest prizes as her symbols pay 8 times the stake for five-of-a-kind. Detectives Quinn and Riviera are the second-best payers in the game. Their symbols pay 5 and 4 times your winning bet, respectively. The police dispatcher comes next, with prizes ranging from 0.7 to 3 times the stake. Various pieces of sparkling jewelry are used for the low payers, awarding payouts between 0.1 and 2.5 times your total bet.
| Hotline 2 Combinations and Payouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols | 2 Matches | 3 Matches | 4 Matches | 5 Matches |
 Kitty Weiss |
– | x2 | x5 | x8 |
 Detective Riviera |
– | x1.50 | x3 | x5 |
 Detective Quinn |
– | x1 | x2 | x4 |
 Police Dispatcher |
– | x0.70 | x1.50 | x3 |
 Pink Diamond |
– | x0.60 | x1.20 | x2.50 |
 Heart-Shaped Necklace |
– | x0.50 | x1 | x1.50 |
 Orange Diamond Brooch |
– | x0.40 | x0.80 | x1.20 |
 Purple Diamond Necklace |
– | x0.30 | x0.60 | x1 |
 Blue Diamond Necklace |
– | x0.20 | x0.40 | x0.60 |
 Green Diamond Ring |
– | x0.10 | x0.20 | x0.40 |
Bonus Features Overview
Hotline 2 has several special features, including expanding wilds and the eponymous hotlines that boost players’ chances of forming more winning combinations. The free spins are the centerpiece of this release and play on an expanded layout capable of producing up to 1,944 winning ways per round. Continue reading as we give you a complete rundown of the bonus features in this action-themed slot.
Wild and Scatter Symbols
The car-chase symbols are wild and can appear on the second, third, and fourth reels both in the base game and during free spins, substituting for all other icons bar the scattered flamingo. The wilds expand to cover entire reels whenever they land on a Hotline as part of winning combinations in the base game. The neon flamingo sign acts as a scatter, triggering the free spins when it appears simultaneously on the second, third, and fourth reels.
Hotline Feature
The Hotlines are central to the spinning action in the eponymous game since they can result in entire wild reels, significantly improving your odds of receiving a payout. Only the third reel is a Hotline during the base game but players have the option to activate two more Hotline reels by placing double and triple bets.
The third and fourth reels turn hot when you double your bet. All three middle reels transform into Hotlines when players triple their bets. Wilds landing on Hotlines expand to give spinners fully wild reels that can lead to some pretty serious wins if luck is on your side.
Free Spins
Neon flamingo signs landing on the three middle reels at the same time will give you 7 free spins. There is a lucrative twist to this feature as the height of the second, third, and fourth reels increases by one symbol whenever a wild icon hits them. The middle reels can expand to a maximum height of six symbols, creating up to 1,944 winning ways in free spins mode.
But it gets better as each Hotline that expands to its maximum potential triggers two additional bonus rounds. A non-Hotline with a wild adds one extra free spin to your tally. If you lack the patience to trigger the free spins manually, you can buy your way in via the Bonus Buy feature.
Keep in mind, however, that some NetEnt-powered casinos do not offer this feature due to regulatory requirements. Purchasing the feature will cost you 60 times your base bet with one active Hotline. You can buy free spins with two or three Hotlines at the expense of 120 and 180 times your stake, respectively.
Pros & Cons of Hotline 2
- The maximum win of 5,184 times the bet is quite satisfying
- NetEnt’s trademark Hotline feature can be very lucrative
- The graphics and animations are, quite simply, spectacular
- The payouts in the base game are ridiculously low
- The sequel yields a lower theoretical return compared to the original release
- There are no respins in the sequel
Hotline 2 FAQs
What theoretical return does Hotline 2 offer?
The theoretical return in the base game varies, depending on the number of Hotlines in play. The RTP reaches its maximum of 96.05% when you activate all three Hotlines with a triple bet. However, this percentage drops to 94.51% when you play a single Hotline with a base bet. The theoretical return with the Bonus Buy feature ranges from 94.55% to 96.03%.
What is the hit frequency of Hotline 2?
To our knowledge, the hit frequency in this slot ranges from 17% to 21%, meaning that every fourth spin will return some kind of payout in the best-case scenario. Then again, this is to be expected from a game with a low to medium variance like Hotline 2. Keep in mind your payouts will be on the lower side of the spectrum most of the time.
Can I play Hotline 2 on my smartphone?
NetEnt’s developers may have drawn inspiration from the eighties when crafting Hotline 2 but still this is a modern game optimized for play on all mobile devices. The mobile version caters to lefties with a left-hand mode. Autoplay and Quick Spin are supported as well.