Crash games explained

Crash games strip gambling down to one decision: when to cash out. A multiplier climbs, and at some random point it stops. Take your money before the crash and you win your stake times the multiplier; wait too long and you lose it. The format grew popular in crypto casinos and is now a staple of online lobbies, led by Spribe's Aviator. This guide explains how the result is set, what the odds of each cash-out target are, and how to check a round yourself.

How a round works

Using Aviator as the example, from Spribe's own game page and rules:

1. You place a bet before the round starts.
2. The multiplier starts at 1x and climbs as the plane takes off.
3. You cash out at any point; your win is stake x current multiplier.
4. When the plane flies away, any bet not cashed out loses.

Common features in crash games:

• Auto cash-out: you set a target multiplier and the bet cashes out automatically when it is reached.
• Two bets at once: place two separate stakes in the same round, for example one with an early auto cash-out and one left to run.
• Live bets and statistics: see other players' bets and recent results. These are social features; past rounds do not predict the next one.

Spribe states Aviator's RTP as 97%, a 3% house edge. BGaming's Aviamasters, a crash-style game where the plane collects multipliers and must land on a carrier, also states 97%, with low volatility and a top multiplier of 250 times.

The result is set before you bet

Crash games feel like a test of nerve, but the crash point is fixed before the round begins. Spribe says its provably fair random number generator produces the coefficient at which the round ends before it starts. Your timing only decides which side of that number you land on.

How provably fair works

Spribe: the operator generates a server seed and shows its hash before the round. Players' client seeds are added; at the start of the round the server and client seeds are combined and hashed with SHA-512, and the result is derived from that hash. After the round you can open the provably fair panel in the game history and check the server seed, client seeds, combined hash and result.

BGaming: the outcome is computed before you bet, a random secret is added, and the SHA-256 hash of the two is shown before the bet. After the round you see the result, the secret, your client seed and the hash, and can recompute the hash to confirm nothing changed.

What "provably fair" proves: the round's result was fixed before your bet and was not altered afterwards. What it does not prove: that the game's RTP is good, or that playing longer helps. It is a fairness check, not a value check.

The odds of each cash-out target

If a crash game returns the same RTP whatever target you choose, then the chance of the multiplier reaching a target x is simply RTP / x. For a 97% game:

This is a model: Spribe publishes a single 97% RTP, not a per-target table. But it follows directly from that figure, and it shows the key point. Every target has the same long-run cost.

Why crash games eat budgets

The return is in line with slots. The danger is speed and feel:

• Rounds are short. Many rounds an hour means a lot wagered, and cost scales with turnover.
• The near-miss is built in. Watching the multiplier pass your target after you cashed out, or crash just before it, pulls you into waiting longer next time. That changes your hit rate, not your return.
• Two bets doubles turnover. The second panel is a second bet, not a hedge.
• Cashing out at 1.01x is not "safe". It wins very often, but every loss costs the full stake while every win pays one cent per dollar, and the long-run return is still 97%.

Plinko-style quick-play games run on the same logic: BGaming publishes 99% for its Plinko and Spribe 97% for its own, with the payout table set by rows and risk level.

Crash games and bonuses

None of the four contribution tables in our game weighting guide list crash games by name; where a casino does not list a game type, assume it does not count, or ask support before using bonus funds on it. Bonus-funded play on games outside the contribution table can void winnings at some casinos. The wagering requirements guide has the details.

Where to find them

Crash games sit in casino lobbies under labels such as "crash" or "originals", and are especially common at crypto-focused casinos; see crypto casinos. Our games hub lists the categories.

Crash games next to slots

Crash games and slots sit side by side in most lobbies, and the comparison is useful. A 97% crash game is cheaper per dollar wagered than a slot set at 94%, and slightly cheaper than most slots at their top setting of around 96%; see the slots guide and the slots page. But crash rounds are short and you choose the risk on every bet, so the cost per hour depends far more on your own pace than on the RTP. If you use bonus funds anywhere in the lobby, the wagering calculator shows what clearing will cost on the games that count.

Set limits first

Use auto cash-out to remove the in-the-moment decision, set a number of rounds before you start, and use deposit limits in your casino account. The Lower-Risk Gambling Guidelines suggest gambling no more than 1% of household income a month. Our responsible gambling page lists free help in your province. For how RTP and volatility interact in other games, see RTP and volatility.