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Updated
This page carries figures checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Studios publish new RTP settings and casinos change their rules: re-check the sources at the foot of the page.
A 5x5 grid, 15 lines, a lot of dust. Hacksaw Gaming released Wanted Dead or a Wild in September 2021, and it's built around one symbol: the VS.
When a VS lands, it expands into a full wild reel carrying a multiplier. Land more than one on a spin and a line can run through several multiplier reels. That's what makes the base game worth watching, even if plenty of spins pass with no feature at all.
Spin Score: 8.0. The free spins factor is what carries it, a 9 from our editors, because there are three different bonus rounds and they really do play differently. RTP (8.1) and max win (7.6) are good without being the best on the page.
At a glance
Best for
High-volatility players who want a choice of bonus rounds rather than one
The catch
Four RTP settings exist, the lowest 88.42%, and many base spins pass with nothing
Check first
The RTP in the paytable before your first spin
Bonus buy
80x, 200x or 400x depending on the round, where allowed
Play instead if...
You want a higher ceiling on a western theme: Dead or Alive 2
Free spins round: Three different bonus rounds (sticky wilds, stacked duel reels, and a collect-then-showdown round) give real choice and the Duel at Dawn round can stack several multiplier reels at once.
Base game: VS symbols expand into multiplier wild reels in the base game, but many spins pass with no feature.
Figures as Hacksaw Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026.
Slots that share what makes Wanted Dead or a Wild what it is, in Spin Score order, at most two per provider. Wanted Dead or a Wild itself is scored in the spec sheet above. Spin Score = 40% RTP, 15% max win, 30% free spins round, 15% base game. How we score
The obvious alternative: another western, and it tops this list at 8.4. NetEnt lists 96.8%, the best RTP here, and you pick one of three sticky-wild free spins modes (Old Saloon, High Noon Saloon, Train Heist) with multipliers up to 16x. On max win, sources clash: NetEnt's stats box shows 1,600x, the same page's Train Heist text says up to 100,000x, and slotcatalog lists 111,111x. The catch is a base game that's mostly plain line hits on 9 lines. It scores 3.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%9.4
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%3.0
What it is: A 5x3, 9-line western slot. Three scatters award 12 free spins and a choice of three sticky-wild bonus modes with different multiplier rules.
Free spins round: Three free spins modes to choose from (Old Saloon, High Noon Saloon, Train Heist) built on sticky wilds and multipliers up to 16x, with retriggers.
Base game: The base game is mostly plain line hits on 9 lines while you wait for the scatters.
RTP, volatility and max win as NetEnt publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Big Time Gaming's 4,096-ways game, themed on The Cult's song. It lands second on a huge ceiling, 100,504x per playin.com, and a strong bonus: two free spins types, with Heartstopper symbols collected to unlock enhanced versions of both. That choice-plus-upgrade idea is close to what makes Wanted Dead work. The base game is fairly dry apart from Angel Wilds on the central reels. RTP 96.43% or 96.31% per Big Time Gaming; playin.com shows 96.47%.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.3
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%5.0
What it is: A 6x4, 4,096-ways slot themed on The Cult's song, with Lil Devil and Angel wilds. The bonus offers two free spins choices that Heartstopper collection can upgrade.
Free spins round: A choice of two free spins types, and collecting Heartstopper symbols builds toward enhanced versions of both.
Base game: Angel Wilds can land on the central reels; otherwise base spins are fairly dry.
RTP, volatility and max win as Big Time Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Relax Gaming's final Money Train, with the best bonus on the page: the Money Cart round scores 10, with more than 20 features including the Arms Dealer, Upgrader, Unlocker and Reset. Max win is 150,000x. It loses ground on RTP, 96.1% per slotcatalog, and Relax lists a UK game ID ending in _92, which suggests a 92% UK version. Very high volatility. Bonus buy isn't available in the UK.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.3
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%10.0
Base gameEditors · 15%6.0
What it is: A scatter-pays slot that ends the Money Train series, with a Money Cart hold-and-win bonus starting on 6x4 and unlocking more rows.
Free spins round: The final Money Cart bonus adds the Arms Dealer, Upgrader, Unlocker and Reset, with more than 20 features in play.
Base game: A base game respin feature and the Arms Dealer, who can hand out features at any time, add some base action.
RTP, volatility and max win as Relax Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Nolimit City's asylum sequel, and the best base game on this list (8): Fire Frames, Fire Reels, Enhancer Cells and Dead Patients fire constantly, and the 99,999x max win can land outside the bonus. Three free spins rounds plus a God Mode, with Dead Patient multipliers up to x9,999. RTP is the problem. The provider page shows 96.06%, but Bigwinboard lists five settings down to 84.01%. Buys run from 100x to 1,800x. Nolimit rates it 'Insane'.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.2
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%8.0
What it is: The sequel to Mental, on 5 reels with 108 base ways that Fire Frames and Fire Reels split into more. Enhancer Cells add wilds, xSplits and xNudge wilds, and Dead Patients reveal multipliers up to x9,999.
Free spins round: Three free spins rounds plus a God Mode, with Dead Patient multipliers up to x9,999 that carry through the round.
Base game: Fire Frames, Fire Reels, Enhancer Cells and Dead Patients fire constantly, and the max win can land in the base game.
RTP, volatility and max win as Nolimit City publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
The third Money Train ties the fourth on bonus quality: a 10 for a Money Cart round where persistent characters (the Shapeshifter, Absorber and Tommy Gun) keep acting on every respin. It's a 5x4, 40-line game with a 100,000x max win. RTP is 96.1% per slotcatalog, with 94% and 90% versions on Relax's page. There are four bonus buy levels, up to a 500x persistent option, none of them sold in the UK.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.3
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%10.0
Base gameEditors · 15%5.0
What it is: A 5x4, 40-line sequel where the Money Cart hold-and-win bonus adds persistent symbols that keep acting on every respin.
Free spins round: Money Cart bonus with persistent characters, the Shapeshifter, Absorber and Tommy Gun, plus four bonus buy levels including a 500x persistent option.
Base game: Base game has some respin teases, but most value sits in the bonus.
RTP, volatility and max win as Relax Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
A 6x6 mining game where xBomb wilds explode to raise the multiplier and crack ice blocks hiding features. Things happen on most spins, which is why the base game scores 8. Nolimit City lists 96.05% and a 70,000x max win. But Bigwinboard lists five RTP settings, the lowest 84.07%, which is the worst floor on this page. The buy and booster menu is long. 'Insane' volatility per the provider.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.1
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%8.0
What it is: The third mining game, on a 6x6 grid with collapses. xBomb wilds explode to raise the multiplier and reveal features hidden in ice blocks.
Free spins round: Lucky Wagon Spins come in 3 to 6 scatter versions plus an Evil Dwarf variant, with coins that collect values down each reel.
Base game: xBomb wilds, Wild Mining and ice blocks hiding features act on most spins, with a gamble option on 2-scatter results.
RTP, volatility and max win as Nolimit City publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Demo buttons open the free-play version on the game studio’s own site: no deposit, no account. We are not paid for them. How we make money
How Wanted Dead or a Wild plays
Fifteen lines across a 5x5 grid. Most spins are ordinary line results with the standard symbols, and Bigwinboard puts the hit frequency at 19.3%, so roughly four in five spins pay nothing.
The VS symbol is the base game's whole personality. It expands to cover its reel as a wild with a multiplier attached. Land two VS reels and a line can run through both. That's where the base game earns its 6. It's not a dead base game. It's a patient one.
Volatility depends on which Hacksaw page you read. The game page rates it 4 out of 5; the meter in Hacksaw's games list shows 5 bars. We use the game page, so it's 'high' in our data. Either way, budget for long quiet stretches.
The three bonus rounds
This is why people play it. Wanted Dead has three bonuses, each triggered by scatters or bought directly.
Great Train Robbery is the sticky wilds round. Wilds that land stay put for the rest of the bonus, so the grid gets better as it goes.
Duel at Dawn leans on the VS reels. Duel reels stack, and several multiplier reels can sit on the grid at once. On paper that looks like the round with the most room for a big result, and the swingiest.
Dead Man's Hand is a collect-then-showdown round: you build up first, then it resolves.
Our editors scored the bonus a 9 because the three rounds really feel different, which is rarer than it should be. Many games with 'multiple bonuses' are the same round with a different spin count.
Bonus buy prices and buy RTP
Where it's allowed, you can buy each round directly: 80x, 200x or 400x the bet, depending on which one you pick. Bigwinboard gives buy RTPs between 96.27% and 96.43% depending on the round, close to the base 96.38%.
So the buy isn't a worse deal on the maths, at the top setting. It's a faster one. At 400x a time, a modest budget covers very few attempts, and every buy still has a negative expected value. My view: skip the 400x buy unless the stake is tiny and the money is already written off. Even then, the demo shows you the same round for nothing.
Our bonus buy slots page ranks the games where buying is an option, and the free spins guide explains how casino free spins offers differ from in-game free spins.
RTP settings: check the paytable
Hacksaw publishes four settings: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. The casino chooses. The game looks identical at all four.
That bottom setting is rough. At 88.42% the house keeps, on average over the long run, more than three times as much per spin as at 96.38%. Our score uses the top figure, so the 8.0 only applies there.
Open the paytable or info screen and find the RTP line before you put money in. If it isn't 96.38%, I'd play something else at that casino. And even at 96.38%, RTP is an average over millions of spins, not a forecast for tonight. The RTP guide explains more.
Who it suits, and what to play instead
It suits players who already like high-volatility slots, enjoy picking a bonus, and have set a budget that can take a long losing run. It doesn't suit a short session on a small balance.
If the western theme is the draw, Dead or Alive 2 heads the list below with a better RTP and a much higher ceiling, but a far weaker base game. If you want even more going on per spin, Mental and its sequel push the volatility further still. The high volatility ranking lines up the rest, and our Hacksaw Gaming page covers the studio.
Hacksaw's demo runs through a launcher on its own site, so use the button on this page to find it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the RTP of Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Hacksaw Gaming lists four settings: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. The casino picks one. Check the paytable before you play.
What is the max win on Wanted Dead or a Wild?
12,500x the bet, per Hacksaw Gaming. It's a ceiling the maths allows, not something most bonus rounds approach.
How much does the Wanted Dead or a Wild bonus buy cost?
80x, 200x or 400x the bet depending on the round, where buying is allowed. Bigwinboard lists buy RTPs between 96.27% and 96.43%. Buying doesn't improve your chances of ending up ahead.
Which bonus is best in Wanted Dead or a Wild?
There's no best on the maths that we can source. Duel at Dawn looks like it has the most room for big results, since several multiplier reels can stack, which also makes it the swingiest. Great Train Robbery builds more steadily with sticky wilds.
Is Wanted Dead or a Wild high volatility?
Yes. Hacksaw's game page rates it 4 out of 5, and the meter on its games list shows 5. Our volatility guide explains what that means for a budget.
Further reading
Official sources
Hacksaw Gaming: Wanted Dead or a Wild– RTP settings 96.38/94.55/92.33/88.42%, volatility 4/5, 15 lines, max win 12,500x, features, checked November 3, 2026
Bigwinboard: Wanted Dead or a Wild review– Release September 2021, hit frequency 19.3%, bonus buys 80x/200x/400x, buy RTPs 96.27% to 96.43%, checked November 3, 2026
NetEnt: Dead or Alive 2– RTP 96.8%, stats box max payout 1,600x, Train Heist text up to 100,000x, checked November 3, 2026
