Hacksaw Gaming launched in Malta in 2017–2018, started with digital scratchcards, and by 2026 has become one of the most-streamed slot providers on the planet. That trajectory — scratchcards to mainstream slots dominance in under eight years — is built on two things: a genuinely different aesthetic that doesn’t look like any other provider, and a proprietary mechanic called DuelReels that no one else uses.
Their games are immediately recognisable. Street art aesthetics, neon colour palettes, bold character-driven themes (raccoon bandits, punk crews, Wild West outlaws, Egyptian underworld gods), and a consistent mobile-first design philosophy that means every game was built for a phone screen first and a desktop second. When most of the industry was still building desktop slots and adapting them to mobile, Hacksaw built vertical-first.
There’s also a variable RTP issue worth covering upfront: like Play’n GO and Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw offers multiple RTP configurations per game. Their lowest variants sit at approximately 88% — a significant reduction from the standard 96%+ that most players assume they’re getting. This guide covers both the games and the RTP situation properly.
Hacksaw Gaming — Provider Snapshot
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017–2018, Malta |
| Origins | Digital scratchcards and instant win games; expanded into slots ~2019 |
| UKGC Licence | Yes |
| MGA Licence | Yes |
| Catalogue size | 250+ games (slots + scratchcards + instant win); 2–4 new slots per month |
| Standard RTP range | 96%–96.5% (standard configurations) |
| Variable RTP | Yes — 4 configurations per game; standard ~96%, reduced variants at ~94%, ~92%, ~88% |
| Typical volatility | High to Very High; the majority of their catalogue is 4/5 or 5/5 volatility |
| Signature mechanic | DuelReels™ — VS symbols battle to decide which multiplier applies to a wild reel |
| Design philosophy | Mobile-first, portrait mode, vertical screens, HTML5 |
| UK restriction | Bonus buy banned (UKGC). DuelReels base mechanic still available; feature buy variants removed. |
| UK availability | Growing — Casumo, 10Bet carry full catalogues; Ladbrokes and Coral feature key titles |
DuelReels — Hacksaw’s Signature Mechanic Explained
DuelReels is proprietary to Hacksaw. No other provider uses it, and it first appeared in Wanted Dead or a Wild (their breakthrough hit).
The mechanic: VS symbols land on the reels and expand to cover entire reels, turning them into wild reels. When two VS symbols land on adjacent reels, they “duel” — a brief animation plays where two characters battle each other. Each VS symbol carries a multiplier value. The duel determines which multiplier is applied. Crucially, regardless of who wins the duel, the victor’s multiplier is applied to all wins that pass through the wild reel. If two wild reels share a winning payline, their individual multiplier values are combined and then multiplied against the payline win.
The maths: two VS symbols with 5x and 10x multipliers on a winning combination don’t give you (5x + 10x) = 15x. They give you 5x × 10x = 50x on that payline. It’s multiplicative, not additive. This is what drives the 12,500x max win ceiling on Wanted Dead or a Wild from a standard 5-row grid with 15 paylines.
DuelReels has since been expanded across much of Hacksaw’s catalogue, with different thematic framings (cowboy duels, raccoon standoffs, gladiator battles) but the same mathematical core. It’s the clearest example of a mechanic that’s distinctive enough to define a provider — when you see VS symbols battling on the reels, it’s a Hacksaw game.
For the base mechanics of cascading reels and multiplier types used across the broader Hacksaw catalogue, our Cascading Reels guide covers the underpinning maths.
The Variable RTP Issue
Hacksaw adopted flexible RTP configurations in late 2021. Prior to that, each game had a single fixed RTP. The current structure: four RTP settings per game, with the standard (highest) variant at approximately 96%, and reduced variants at approximately 94%, 92%, and 88%.
For Wanted Dead or a Wild specifically (confirmed from Hacksaw’s own game page): 96.38% | 94.55% | 92.33% | 88.42%. For Hand of Anubis: 96.24% | 94.32% | 92.28% | 88.41%. The same four-tier structure applies across their recent catalogue.
The 88% minimum is less extreme than Play’n GO’s 84% floor but still a material difference. Playing Wanted Dead or a Wild at 88.42% means an expected loss of £11.58 per £100 wagered vs £3.62 at the standard 96.38%. That’s a 3.2× increase in expected cost per session.
How to check: Open the game information screen (the “i” button) before any significant session. If the RTP shown is below the standard ~96% figure, you’re on a reduced variant. The major UK operators in our sidebar carry standard or near-standard variants. Always verify for high-volatility sessions where your stake exposure is meaningful.
For a full breakdown of how variable RTP works across the industry, our Slot Game Mechanics guide covers the subject in full context.
Best Hacksaw Gaming Slots for UK Players — 2026
#1 — Wanted Dead or a Wild
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.38% (standard) — verify before playing |
| Volatility | High (4/5) |
| Max Win | 12,500x stake |
| Grid | 5 reels × 5 rows, 15 paylines |
| Released | 2021 |
| Key mechanic | DuelReels™ (first game to feature it); three bonus rounds: Great Train Robbery, Duel at Dawn, Dead Man’s Hand; multipliers up to 100x on wild reels |
| Min Bet | 20p |
Wanted Dead or a Wild is the game that put Hacksaw on the mainstream map and remains the definitive entry point into their catalogue. The Wild West theme works because Hacksaw committed to it — it’s not generic, it has character design, an actual cast of outlaws, and the DuelReels mechanic fits the narrative (gunslingers duelling in the street) as well as the mathematics.
Three distinct bonus rounds available through free spins: Great Train Robbery (sticky wilds), Duel at Dawn (DuelReels active throughout free spins), and Dead Man’s Hand (multipliers compound across free spins). The Duel at Dawn bonus round is where the 12,500x ceiling lives — sustained DuelReels activity across free spins with multiplier accumulation on wild reels producing multiplicative payline wins.
High volatility at 4/5 — budget 80–100× your stake. DuelReels triggering in base game produces good hits; the free spins bonus is where the high ceilings emerge.
#2 — Chaos Crew 3
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.30% (standard) — verify before playing |
| Volatility | Very High (5/5) |
| Max Win | 30,000x stake (highest in Hacksaw catalogue) |
| Grid | 5×5 cluster pays |
| Released | 2024 |
| Key mechanic | Evolved Chaos Crew cluster pays system; multiple bonus modes; highest max win ceiling in the series |
The Chaos Crew series is Hacksaw’s most recognisable franchise — punk aesthetic, neon street art visuals, a consistent crew of characters across three games. The original Chaos Crew (5×5 grid, 10,000x max win) was the series foundation. Chaos Crew 2 pushed to 20,000x. Chaos Crew 3 reaches 30,000x — the highest ceiling in the entire Hacksaw catalogue.
Very high volatility at 5/5. The 30,000x ceiling is real but requires a sustained bonus with compounding multiplier mechanics. The series is among the most streamed Hacksaw content globally — high win potential and visually distinctive enough to be broadcast-friendly. Budget 150× your stake minimum for meaningful sessions.
For UK players new to the series: start with the original Chaos Crew (lower max win but more accessible mechanics) before moving to Chaos Crew 3’s extreme volatility profile.
#3 — Hand of Anubis
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.24% (standard) — verify before playing |
| Volatility | High (4/5) |
| Max Win | 10,000x stake |
| Grid | 5 reels × 6 rows, cluster pays (5+ adjacent symbols) |
| Released | 2021 |
| Key mechanic | Dual multiplier system; dynamic symbol drop; Egyptian underworld theme with Anubis free spins trigger |
Hand of Anubis takes Hacksaw’s dark aesthetic and applies it to Egyptian mythology — specifically the underworld judgment aspect of Anubis rather than the standard pyramid-and-pharaoh approach most providers use. The 5×6 cluster pays grid (5+ adjacent symbols required) produces a different session feel from standard payline games: wins accumulate through cascading cluster chains rather than single-spin left-to-right evaluations.
The dual multiplier mechanic — two separate multiplier values active simultaneously, with the higher applying to wins — is unusual and produces the surprise high-win sessions that make it popular among streamers. Reports of 6,000x–8,000x individual wins are circulated in streaming communities. The mathematical path to those requires sustained cluster chains during free spins with both multipliers elevated.
Good entry point for players wanting to understand Hacksaw’s cluster pays side as distinct from their DuelReels payline games.
#4 — Le Bandit
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.34% (standard) |
| Volatility | Medium-High |
| Max Win | 10,000x stake |
| Grid | Cascading reels |
| Released | 2020 |
| Key mechanic | Marked winning positions with revealed coin values; Luck of the Bandit bonus (3 scatters = free spins + respins); All That Glitters is Gold (4 scatters = 12 retriggerable free spins) |
Le Bandit stars Smokey, a French raccoon bandit, and is one of the most charming games in the Hacksaw catalogue — a different energy from the darker Chaos Crew or Hand of Anubis. Medium-high volatility makes it more accessible than Hacksaw’s typical 5/5 profile. The coin reveal mechanic — landing special symbols reveals prize values that can be improved through multiplier or collect symbols — adds a near-instant-win satisfaction layer to the base game between bonus triggers.
Le Bandit launched the Le series (Le Zeus, Le Pharaoh, Le Viking, Le Cowboys). Le Cowboys currently holds the second-highest max win in the series at 25,000x if you want to escalate from the original’s 10,000x ceiling.
#5 — RIP City
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.22% (standard) |
| Volatility | High (4/5) |
| Max Win | 10,000x stake |
| Grid | 6 reels × 4 rows |
| Released | 2021 |
| Key mechanic | Five distinct bonus feature options; wild cat multipliers; dual bonus modes |
RIP City has an urban zombie / retro cartoon aesthetic — brightly coloured rather than dark, which gives it wider accessibility than some of Hacksaw’s more intense visual designs. Five distinct bonus modes provide genuine variety across sessions: different volatility profiles within the same game depending on which bonus activates. Wild cat multipliers during feature play drive the 10,000x ceiling. One of Hacksaw’s most consistently popular titles with streamers due to the unpredictability of which bonus mode triggers.
#6 — The Bowery Boys
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| RTP | 96.41% (highest standard RTP in the Hacksaw catalogue) |
| Volatility | High |
| Max Win | 10,000x stake |
| Grid | 6 reels |
| Released | 2022 |
| Key mechanic | Multiplier strongboxes; blasting bomb multipliers; three bonus rounds (Strongbox Storage, Daisy’s Dynamite, Bowery Savings Bank) |
The Bowery Boys carries the highest standard RTP in the Hacksaw catalogue at 96.41% — the choice if you want maximum mathematical return from a Hacksaw session. The 1920s New York gang theme is one of their most visually detailed designs. Three distinct bonus rounds with different multiplier structures (strongbox collection, bomb explosions, bank vault accumulation) provide the characteristic Hacksaw variety within a single game. At 10,000x max win it doesn’t reach the Chaos Crew ceilings, but the RTP advantage over the typical 96.22–96.30% range is meaningful for extended sessions.
Hacksaw’s Product Range — Beyond Slots
Hacksaw’s roots are in scratchcards, and they maintain an active scratchcard and instant win catalogue alongside their slots. Chaos Crew Scratchcards, Cash Crew Scratch, and Tiger Scratch are among the most played. These aren’t a secondary product — they’re genuinely designed with the same aesthetic care as the slots and carry the same UK licencing.
For UK players who want variety beyond spinning reels, the Hacksaw scratchcard catalogue is worth exploring. Card prices range from 10p (Chaos Crew Scratch) to £4 (Tiger Scratch), covering the full budget range. Mechanical variety between reveal-styles and risk-hold options makes them more engaging than typical online scratchcards.
Max Win Comparison — Hacksaw vs Competitors
| Game | Provider | Standard RTP | Max Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaos Crew 3 | Hacksaw | 96.30% | 30,000x |
| Le Cowboys | Hacksaw | 96.30% | 25,000x |
| Wanted Dead or a Wild | Hacksaw | 96.38% | 12,500x |
| Bonanza Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 96.00% | 26,000x |
| Rasputin Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 96.68% | 68,180x |
| Gates of Olympus | Pragmatic Play | 96.50% | 5,000x |
| Jammin’ Jars 2 | Push Gaming | 96.47% | 20,000x |
Hacksaw’s max win profile is competitive — Chaos Crew 3 at 30,000x sits between Bonanza (26,000x) and Rasputin Megaways (68,180x) in the BTG catalogue. Their average catalogue max win (~10,000x) is around the industry mid-point. For players specifically chasing extreme ceilings, BTG’s Rasputin or Push Gaming’s Razor Shark (50,000x) outperform most of Hacksaw’s catalogue — but for the combination of distinctive mechanics, mobile experience, and mid-range high ceilings, Hacksaw competes well.
Honest Assessment
Where Hacksaw genuinely excels:
- Most distinctive visual identity in the UK slot market — games are immediately recognisable and don’t look like every other provider’s catalogue
- DuelReels is a genuinely original proprietary mechanic; VS symbol duels create a tension arc within base game spins that most slot mechanics don’t have
- Mobile optimisation is industry-leading — portrait mode, vertical screens, fast load times, clean touch interfaces. Built mobile-first when others were retrofitting
- Variety within their catalogue: cluster pays, payline games, DuelReels, scratchcards — more mechanic diversity than similarly-sized providers
- Streaming-friendly design — the visual drama of DuelReels duels and bonus feature triggers makes Hacksaw games disproportionately prominent in streaming communities, which drives organic awareness among UK players
Where Hacksaw has limitations:
- Variable RTP at 88% minimum is significant — always verify the RTP in-game before extended sessions, particularly at smaller or newer operators
- Near-universal high volatility — almost the entire catalogue is 4/5 or 5/5 volatility. Limited accessible options for lower-budget players (Le Bandit at medium-high is the closest they get)
- No progressive jackpots — players seeking jackpot potential need to look elsewhere (Microgaming’s Mega Moolah network, BTG’s Megapays games)
- Bonus buy banned in UK — the full DuelReels experience in some games includes a feature buy that UK players cannot access; natural play triggers are available but the buy option affecting session management is removed
- Catalogue depth can be overwhelming — 250+ games with 2–4 new releases per month means a lot of volume to navigate; use the series structure (Le series, Chaos Crew series, Canny the Can series) as filtering tools
Frequently Asked Questions — Hacksaw Gaming
What is DuelReels and how does it work?
DuelReels is Hacksaw Gaming’s proprietary mechanic, first appearing in Wanted Dead or a Wild (2021). VS symbols land on reels and expand to cover the entire reel, turning it into a wild reel. When two VS symbols land, they duel — an animation plays where two characters battle. Each VS symbol carries a multiplier value. Regardless of the duel outcome, the winner’s multiplier is applied to all winning paylines passing through the wild reel. If two wild reels are both part of a winning combination, their multipliers are combined multiplicatively (not additively). For example: 5x and 10x on the same winning line = 50x total multiplier on that payline win, not 15x.
What is the best Hacksaw Gaming slot?
For the defining Hacksaw experience and DuelReels at its best: Wanted Dead or a Wild (96.38% RTP, 12,500x max win). For highest max win ceiling: Chaos Crew 3 (96.30% RTP, 30,000x max win). For highest RTP in the catalogue: The Bowery Boys (96.41% RTP, 10,000x max win). For cluster pays / Egyptian theme: Hand of Anubis (96.24% RTP, 10,000x max win). For lower volatility entry point: Le Bandit (96.34% RTP, medium-high volatility, 10,000x max win).
Does Hacksaw Gaming have variable RTP?
Yes. Hacksaw adopted flexible RTP configurations from late 2021. Each game now typically has four RTP settings: the standard at approximately 96%, and reduced variants at approximately 94%, 92%, and 88%. Wanted Dead or a Wild’s four settings are: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33%, 88.42%. Hand of Anubis runs at: 96.24%, 94.32%, 92.28%, 88.41%. The same structure applies across their recent catalogue. Always check the RTP displayed in the game’s information screen before extended sessions — if it shows below ~96%, you’re on a reduced variant.
Can I use bonus buy on Hacksaw slots in the UK?
No. Bonus buy (feature buy) is banned at all UK-licensed casinos following the UKGC ruling in October 2021. Hacksaw games that offer bonus buy in international markets run without it in the UK. The DuelReels base mechanic triggers naturally during base game play. Hacksaw also offers an “Ante Bet” feature on some games (a raised bet that increases bonus trigger probability) — the UKGC status of ante bets varies by game; check the specific game’s terms at your casino.
Are Hacksaw Gaming slots suitable for beginners?
Mostly no. The majority of Hacksaw’s catalogue is rated 4/5 or 5/5 volatility (high to very high). This means long base-game sequences with minimal returns between bonus triggers are common. Players new to online slots or those with limited session budgets will find Hacksaw games depleting bankrolls faster than lower-volatility alternatives. Le Bandit is the most accessible Hacksaw title in the popular catalogue (medium-high volatility). For true low or medium volatility, other providers (NetEnt for low-medium, some Pragmatic titles) are more appropriate for limited bankrolls.
What makes Hacksaw different from other slot providers?
Three things: DuelReels (a proprietary mechanic no other provider offers), a mobile-first design philosophy built from the ground up for portrait-mode smartphone play rather than adapted from desktop, and a visual aesthetic (street art, neon, bold character design) that’s immediately distinguishable from the generic fantasy/mythology/fruit machine approaches that dominate competitor catalogues. Their scratchcard and instant win portfolio alongside the slots catalogue also differentiates them from pure-play slot studios.
Which UK casinos carry Hacksaw Gaming slots?
Hacksaw games are increasingly available at major UK operators. Casumo and 10Bet carry full or near-full Hacksaw catalogues. Ladbrokes and Coral feature key titles (Wanted Dead or a Wild, Chaos Crew series) but not necessarily the full range. PlayOJO carries the full suite. Availability has expanded rapidly since 2023 — Hacksaw’s distribution through over 3,000 partner brands globally means most UKGC-licensed casinos now carry at least their flagship titles.
