Wanted Dead or a Wild
- RTP
- 96.38%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 12,500x stake
- Reels
- 5
- Lines
- 15
- Released
- 2021-09-29
- Theme
- Western
Provider
Hacksaw Gaming
- Founded
- 2018
- Games in catalogue
- ~300
- Typical RTP
- 96.0–96.5%
- Signature style
- High volatility, feature-dense
Hacksaw Gaming is a Malta-based studio founded in 2018 that went from unknown to unavoidable in about four years. It now has roughly 300 titles, and it got there with a narrow, aggressive proposition: high-volatility slots with dense feature sets, large maximum wins and an irreverent tone that runs through the artwork, the sound and the marketing alike.
Game Style
Hacksaw specialises in high-to-extreme volatility slots with buy-bonus features, cluster-pay and tumbling mechanics, and ceilings that reach five figures as a matter of routine. The games are short-form by design: clearly signposted bonus rounds, few rules to learn, and an outcome that resolves quickly once a feature starts.
Themes are crime, heists, westerns and horror, handled with a sense of humour that separates them from the more earnest end of the market. The studio also runs a substantial line of instant-win and scratch-style games alongside the slots, which is unusual at this size.
Signature Mechanics
Hacksaw trademarks its feature systems, which makes them easy to identify across titles:
- DuelReels — two reel sets running side by side with shared or mirrored outcomes.
- StackWays — stacked symbols that expand the active ways-to-win count as they land.
- EchoSpins — a respin structure where the outcome of one spin repeats into the next.
- SwitchSpins — a choice between different free-spins modes with different risk profiles.
- Feature Spins and Bonus Buy — several paid entry tiers per game, usually ranging from a cheap improved-odds option to a full guaranteed bonus.
Licensing and Fair Play
Hacksaw Gaming is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and certified for the regulated markets its operators serve, which is a solid position for a studio this young.
The RTP question here deserves particular attention, because Hacksaw publishes its configurations openly and they are unusually far apart: the same title can be deployed at approximately 96.41%, 94.30%, 92.19% or 88.45%, depending on the jurisdiction and the operator. That is an eight-point spread on identical games. A Hacksaw slot at 88% is a materially different product from the same slot at 96%, and nothing in the artwork will tell you which one you have opened. Read the information screen before you spin — with this studio it is the single most valuable thing on the page.
Games Worth Knowing
Beyond the five titles below, Wanted Dead or a Wild is the breakthrough that made the studio’s name and remains the clearest statement of what it does. 2 Wild 2 Die is its direct sequel. Cursed Crypt and Stormforged show the horror and fantasy side, Dork Unit and Beast Mode the comic one. The instant-win range — mines-style and scratch games — is worth knowing exists, because it behaves nothing like the slots and is priced differently.
Mobile Play and Demos
Everything is designed mobile-first, and it shows: the games are visually simple, load fast and are built around a single tall grid that fits a phone without compromise. Free demo versions are available for all titles, and with this studio’s RTP spread the demo is also the quickest way to check which configuration a given casino has installed.
What the Numbers Say
Our five games sit in a narrow band from 96.22% to 96.38% RTP and were released between 2020 and 2023. Volatility is high across the board. Themes are crime, heists, westerns and Egypt, handled with humour.
Hacksaw suits players who want short, sharp sessions and clearly signposted bonus rounds without a manual’s worth of rules. The band above reflects the top configuration — treat it as the best case, not the default.
Popular Hacksaw Gaming Games
RIP City
- RTP
- 96.22%
- Volatility
- 3/5
- Max win
- 12500x
- Reels
- 5
- Lines
- 19
- Released
- 2023-01-05
- Theme
- Retro
Chaos Crew
- RTP
- 96.30%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 10,000x
- Reels
- 5
- Lines
- 15
- Released
- 2020-01-01
- Theme
- Crime
Le Bandit
- RTP
- 96.34%
- Volatility
- Medium
- Max win
- 10000x
- Reels
- 6
- Lines
- Cluster Pays
- Released
- 2023-08-24
- Theme
- Heist
Hand of Anubis
- RTP
- 96.24%
- Volatility
- High
- Max win
- 10,000x
- Reels
- 5
- Lines
- Cluster Pays
- Released
- 2022-04-21
- Theme
- Egyptian
Hacksaw Gaming — FAQ
What is Hacksaw Gaming known for?
High-volatility, feature-dense slots with large maximum win potential, aimed at players who favour big-swing gameplay. Wanted Dead or a Wild, Chaos Crew and Le Bandit are the titles that built its reputation.
Is Hacksaw Gaming a licensed provider?
Yes. The studio is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and its games are certified for the regulated markets its operators serve, despite it being a comparatively new name in the industry.
What RTP do Hacksaw games actually run at?
It depends entirely on the casino. Hacksaw publishes four common configurations — roughly 96.41%, 94.30%, 92.19% and 88.45% — and the operator chooses which to install. That is an eight-point spread on the same game, so the figure in the information screen matters more here than with almost any other studio on this site.
What is the difference between Feature Spins and Bonus Buy?
Bonus Buy purchases the feature outright. Feature Spins are cheaper intermediate options that improve the odds of triggering it, or enter a weaker version of it. Most Hacksaw titles offer several tiers, and the effective cost per feature differs between them — worth comparing before defaulting to the most expensive.
Are Hacksaw’s scratch and instant games the same as its slots?
No. The instant-win line is a separate product with its own maths and, usually, a very different risk profile from the slots. Do not carry assumptions from one to the other.
Why do so many Hacksaw games look so simple?
Deliberate design. Flat artwork, a single tall grid and minimal animation load fast on a phone and keep the rules legible at a glance. The complexity in these games is in the maths and the feature stacking, not in the presentation.
