The dusty trails of the Wild West have never felt this atmospheric. Hacksaw Gaming's Wanted Dead or a Wild doesn't just transport you to the frontier, it drops you into the shadows where outlaws gather under the blazing sun.
We're talking about a gritty, unforgiving landscape where the sun bleeds orange over twisted trees and barbed wire, and every spin carries the weight of the frontier.
The atmosphere here is intense in all the right ways. Instead of cheerful cowboy tunes, you get haunting guitar melodies that whisper of tension and drama. When the Great Train Robbery feature kicks in, you'll hear the thunderous clatter of steel wheels racing against time. It's moody, it's atmospheric, and it perfectly captures that feeling of being in the untamed West.
This game operates on 15 fixed ways across a 5x5 grid. You need at least three matching symbols landing from left to right, starting from that leftmost reel. Simple enough, right?
The real story here is the volatility. Hacksaw has rated this beast as "very high," and they're not messing around. Your session will experience irregular patterns with extended quiet periods followed by moments when features activate. Individual results will vary dramatically from statistical averages, with some periods producing little activity while others may generate enhanced outcomes.
The betting range accommodates different budget levels. The RTP clocks in at 96.38%, which is solid, though you should always check the paytable since some operators might offer lower rates.
Actually, you get three different bonus rounds, each with its own personality and volatility rating. That's where things get interesting.
The Great Train Robbery is your medium-volatility option, triggered by three Train Robbery symbols. You get 10 free spins where every Wild that lands becomes sticky for the entire feature. It's the most predictable of the three, perfect if you want steady action without the extreme swings.
Duel at Dawn cranks things up to "very high" volatility. Three Duel symbols get you 10 free spins, but additional VS symbols are loaded into the reels. These are the feature symbols that can cover entire reels with wild multipliers.
Dead Man's Hand is the most complex feature. You start with 3 respins, collecting Wilds and multipliers. Every time you collect one, your spins reset to 3. When you finally hit three non-winning spins, the final phase begins with 3 spins where all your collected Wilds get placed on the grid with your accumulated multiplier applied to any wins.
The VS symbols are the real stars of this show. When one lands as part of a winning combination, it expands to cover the entire reel and reveals a multiplier between 2x and 100x. If you're fortunate enough to land VS symbols on all five reels, the entire grid becomes one massive Wild symbol.
This is Hacksaw's DuelReels mechanic in action, and it's engaging to watch. The visual of two outlaws facing off on each VS symbol adds drama to what could otherwise be just another expanding Wild feature.
The game also includes bonus buy options for players in jurisdictions where available. You can purchase The Great Train Robbery for 80x your bet, Duel at Dawn for 200x, or Dead Man's Hand for a substantial 400x. Each purchase option comes with slightly different RTP values, ranging from 96.27% to 96.43%.
Wanted Dead or a Wild is available at PokerStars Casino, where you can enjoy it on desktop, mobile, or tablet. The game runs smoothly across all devices, so whether you're at home or on the move, you can access this frontier experience.
You might also want to check out other Western-themed slots in our catalog, or discover more of Hacksaw Gaming's innovative titles that push creative boundaries in slot design.
The symbol hierarchy starts with the usual card ranks (10, J, Q, K, A) as your low-paying symbols, each offering modest returns of up to 1x your bet for five of a kind.
The premium symbols tell the story of the frontier: goat skulls and bandit portraits pay up to 5x, while money bags and liquor bottles can net you 10x. The top prize goes to the gun chamber symbol at 20x for a full line.
Wilds substitute for all regular symbols and are worth 20x your bet for five in a row. But the real power players are the special symbols: VS symbols that expand with multipliers, and the three scatter types (Dead, Duel, Train Robbery) that unlock those intense bonus features.
Wanted Dead or a Wild requires players to have an understanding of high volatility characteristics. This is a slot that creates extended periods between significant outcomes, but when those VS symbols start expanding or when you trigger one of the bonus features, the entertainment value becomes clear.
The 12,500x potential speaks to the game's serious possibilities, while the multiple bonus features ensure there's always different mechanics to experience. It's perfect for players who appreciate the slow burn of high-volatility gaming and understand the irregular win patterns that come with it.
Individual results will vary significantly from statistical averages due to the very high volatility mathematics. Remember that gambling should always be treated as entertainment, not as a financial strategy or way to solve money problems. Set clear spending limits before you begin, only wager amounts you can afford to lose completely, and take regular breaks to maintain control of your gaming session.
The game operates entirely on random chance, and no skill or strategy can influence outcomes. Very high volatility means wins can be extremely infrequent and unpredictable, so plan your session budget accordingly. The bonus buy features involve significant additional costs that can quickly multiply your spending, so use these options very cautiously and only within your predetermined limits.