Overview
Released by Hacksaw Gaming on September 29, 2021, Wanted Dead or a Wild pairs a dark, gritty Wild West outlaw theme with a fixed 15-payline structure and three separate scatter-triggered bonus rounds rather than a single Free Spins mode.
A gritty, blood-soaked Wild West theme built around outlaws, gunfights, and a wanted-poster motif, framed by a hanging tree and blood-red sky against a dawn backdrop.
Bonus Features Breakdown
Fixed-Payline Grid
Wins pay across 15 fixed paylines on the 5-reel, 5-row grid, rather than a ways or cluster structure.
Wild Symbol
The standard Wild substitutes for regular paying symbols and pays 20x your stake for five-of-a-kind on its own.
VS Symbol & DuelReels
Landing a VS symbol on a reel expands it into a full column of Wilds, each carrying a random multiplier between 2x and 100x. Multiple VS-triggered multipliers landing in the same win stack together rather than resetting.
Three Scatter-Triggered Bonus Rounds
Landing 3 or more of the same themed scatter symbol - Train Robbery, Duel, or Dead Man's Hand - triggers one of three separate bonus rounds instead of a single shared Free Spins mode: The Great Train Robbery (10 Free Spins with sticky Wilds), Duel at Dawn (10 Free Spins with extra VS symbols loaded onto the reels), or Dead Man's Hand (a two-phase feature that collects Wilds and multipliers before a final showdown).
Bonus Buy
Where permitted by local regulations, players can buy directly into whichever round they want: 80x stake for The Great Train Robbery, 200x for Duel at Dawn, or 400x for Dead Man's Hand.
Betting Range & Jackpot
Total bets run from $0.20 up to $100 per spin. Wanted Dead or a Wild doesn't carry a jackpot round - its biggest built-in win comes from stacking VS-symbol Wild multipliers across its three bonus rounds, capped at 12,500x your total stake.
RTP & Volatility
RTP: 96.38%. Volatility: High.
Our Take
What sets this apart from almost every other Wild West slot we've reviewed is the three-way bonus split - rather than one Free Spins mode, landing enough of a given scatter symbol sends you into one of three genuinely different rounds, each with its own volatility profile and its own dedicated Bonus Buy price. That's a meaningfully different structure from the single-mode Free Spins in Dusty Duel or Wild West Gold Megaways.
The VS symbol mechanic is the real engine underneath all three rounds - a single VS landing expands an entire reel into Wilds carrying a random 2x-100x multiplier, and when several land across a spin those multipliers stack rather than overwrite each other. Duel at Dawn leans into this directly by loading extra VS symbols onto the reels, which is why independent testers rate it as the most explosive - and most volatile - of the three rounds.
Dead Man's Hand stands out as the most unusual of the three: rather than paying out spin by spin, it's a two-phase collection feature that gathers Wilds and multipliers before resolving in a final showdown. That structure gives it a genuinely different rhythm from a standard Free Spins round, closer to a pick-and-reveal bonus than a respin mechanic.
At 96.38% RTP the base configuration is solid, but Hacksaw Gaming publishes an unusually wide range of live settings for this title - down to 88.42% at some operators, a bigger spread than we've seen from most other providers on this site. Worth checking the in-game paytable before assuming you're getting the headline figure.
Pros & Cons
What We Liked
- Three genuinely distinct bonus rounds instead of one Free Spins mode, each with its own rhythm and volatility
- VS-symbol Wilds with stacking 2x-100x multipliers give the base game real bite even outside the bonus rounds
- Per-round Bonus Buy pricing lets players target the specific round they want rather than an all-or-nothing purchase
- 12,500x max win matches the strongest Wild West titles we've reviewed
Where It Falls Short
- High volatility, and two of the three bonus rounds (Duel at Dawn, Dead Man's Hand) run even higher volatility than the base game
- Hacksaw Gaming publishes an unusually wide RTP range for this title - down to 88.42% at some operators, a bigger spread than most providers
- Three separate bonus mechanics take longer to learn than a single Free Spins mode
- 19.3% hit frequency means dry stretches between wins are common outside the bonus rounds
Where to Play Wanted Dead or a Wild
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RTP of Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Wanted Dead or a Wild has a default RTP of 96.38%, though Hacksaw Gaming publishes an unusually wide range of operator configurations for this title, down to 88.42% - check the in-game paytable to confirm which version you're playing.
How many bonus rounds does Wanted Dead or a Wild have?
Three separate rounds, each triggered by its own scatter symbol: The Great Train Robbery (10 Free Spins with sticky Wilds), Duel at Dawn (10 Free Spins with extra VS symbols), and Dead Man's Hand (a two-phase Wild and multiplier collection feature).
How does the VS symbol work in Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Landing a VS symbol expands that reel into a full column of Wilds carrying a random multiplier between 2x and 100x. When more than one VS-triggered multiplier lands in the same win, they stack together.
What is the maximum win on Wanted Dead or a Wild?
The maximum win is 12,500x your total stake.
Where can I play Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Wanted Dead or a Wild is available at Beef Casino and Irwin Casino from our ranked casinos.
For similar games, check out our Wild West Slots page.