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Abstract In experiment and 2D3V PIC MCC simulations, the breakdown development in a pulsed discharge in helium is studied forU= 3.2 kV and 10 kV andP= 100 Torr. The breakdown process is found to have a stochastic nature, and the electron avalanche develops in different experimental and simulation runs with time delays ranging from 0.3 to 8μs. Nevertheless our experiments demonstrate that the breakdown delay time distribution can be controlled with a change of the pulse discharge frequency. The simulation results show that the breakdown process can be distinguished in three stages with (a) the ionization by seed electrons, (b) the ions drift to the cathode and (c) the enhanced ionization within the cathode sheath by the electrons emitted from the cathode. The effects of variation of seed electron concentrations, voltage rise times, voltage amplitudes and ion–electron emission coefficients on the breakdown development in the pulsed gas discharge are reported.