Wanted Dead or a Wild slot

What kind of slot machine is Wanted Dead or a Wild?

Wanted Dead or a Wild comes from Hacksaw Gaming, a Malta-based studio launched in September 2018, whose parent company has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since June 2025. It is a western slot drawn in a gritty, comic-book style, with outlaws, a sheriff and a train heist. Under the art is a compact maths model: a square 5×5 grid, 15 fixed paylines and features designed to make rare results very large.

Two things set it apart. In the base game, VS symbols can turn whole reels into multiplied wilds, so big wins don't depend on reaching a bonus. And instead of one free spins round, the game has three bonus rounds that work in very different ways. Both features push volatility up: many spins pay little or nothing, while a small number pay far more than average.

How the Wanted Dead or a Wild grid and paylines work

With five rows on five reels, the grid has 25 positions, but only 15 paylines count. A win needs three or more matching symbols on a line starting from reel 1. Your stake is spread across all 15 lines, so a £1 spin carries about 6.7p per line.

1. Set your stake; it covers all 15 lines.
2. Press spin. The RNG decides every symbol and any VS outcome before the reels stop.
3. Line wins are counted from the leftmost reel.
4. Any VS symbol that lands expands into a full-reel wild and reveals its multiplier.
5. Lines that pass through VS reels are paid with the multiplier applied.
6. Bonus scatters, if enough land, start one of the three bonus rounds.

Every line crosses every reel once. That is why a full-reel wild is so powerful on this grid: it completes its position on all 15 lines at the same time.

The VS symbol explained with a worked example

The VS symbol is a wild reel and a wild multiplier in one. When it lands, a short duel animation plays and the symbol expands to cover its reel, then shows a multiplier. The rules screen lists the possible multipliers and how two or more VS reels combine on the same line.

Illustrative example (made-up values)

Say you stake £1, and reel 2 turns into a VS wild showing 10x. Reels 1 and 3 have a high-paying outlaw on the middle row, which would normally pay 20p for three of a kind on one line. With the wild reel in between, the line pays 20p × 10 = £2. If the same outlaw also appears on reel 1's top row and reel 3's top row, a second line pays another £2. A modest symbol hit becomes a real result because the multiplier applies to every line through that reel.

These numbers are invented for the arithmetic. They aren't the game's paytable values or a guide to how often each multiplier appears.

Wanted Dead or a Wild free spins and bonus rounds

Landing enough bonus scatters starts one of three features. Each gives a different shape of result:

Which round you get, how many spins it gives and exactly how its symbols behave are listed in the game rules. What they share is that each concentrates value into fewer, bigger outcomes. A bonus that returns less than you spent reaching it is a normal result on a game like this.

Wanted Dead or a Wild RTP and session cost

The published RTP is 96.38%, a 3.62% house edge. That is a typical figure; what isn't typical is how unevenly it's delivered. Here is the long-run average cost, with the caveat that short sessions on a high-volatility game rarely match it.

Hacksaw games are often supplied at several RTP settings, so check the rules screen: open the menu, choose the game information page and read the return-to-player line. If it's lower than 96.38%, work out costs with that figure. Our RTP variants explainer covers why casinos have the choice.

Wanted Dead or a Wild max win at UK stake limits

Any spin or bonus round is capped at 12,500 times the stake. The Gambling Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) limits stakes to £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for players aged 18 to 24, which gives these ceilings:

On capped games like this, a round that hits the ceiling usually ends there and pays the capped amount; the rules screen confirms how this version handles it. Reaching it is extremely rare and needs several high VS multipliers lining up. See max win caps for the general rules.

Wanted Dead or a Wild demo and UK version

Many UK casinos offer free demo play of Wanted Dead or a Wild, after age verification. Since May 2019, licensed sites must confirm you're 18 or over before any play-money game opens. Given how rare the big results are, the demo is a cheap way to see how the game behaves over a few hundred spins.

In many markets the game sells direct entry to its bonuses. That option isn't offered in Great Britain, so all three rounds are reached through scatters only; see bonus buy in the UK. The British version also follows RTS 14 on responsible product design (opens in a new tab): no autoplay, no turbo, a 2.5-second minimum per spin and no celebration of returns that don't beat the stake. RTS 13 on time requirements and reality checks (opens in a new tab) covers the on-screen clock and session reminders.

Wanted Dead or a Wild myths and facts

Each spin is independent; our gambler's fallacy explainer shows why streaks don't predict anything.

Slots like Wanted Dead or a Wild

Chaos Crew uses the same 5×5, 15-line frame with a different theme and features. Wanted Dead or a Wild vs Le Bandit compares two Hacksaw engines side by side. For another high-volatility western, NetEnt's Dead or Alive 2 builds its big results through sticky wilds in free spins.

Is Wanted Dead or a Wild worth playing?

It suits adults who want a game where a single base-game spin can matter, and who are comfortable with long runs of small or no wins. The three bonuses add variety. It suits small budgets and steady sessions poorly, because the volatility can drain a balance before anything notable happens.

Set a hard limit and stick to it. If you find yourself chasing a bonus or a VS reel, take a break; GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) offers free self-exclusion from all British-licensed sites, and the National Gambling Helpline is on 0808 8020 133.

Where to play Wanted Dead or a Wild in the UK

Hacksaw Gaming titles are carried by many UK casinos, but lobbies vary, so search for Wanted Dead or a Wild before you sign up. Our partner offers aren't linked to this game: Coral and Ladbrokes give free spins on selected slots after a £10 slots bet, and PlayOJO's 80 no-wagering spins are on Big Bass Bonanza. All are for new customers aged 18+, and terms apply.

See where to play slots online for each partner's details, or return to the online slots hub.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.