Wanted Dead or a Wild is a Wild West-themed slot from Hacksaw Gaming, released in 2021 as the debut title for the studio’s DuelReels mechanic. It plays on a 5-reel, 5-row grid with 15 fixed paylines, giving it a taller, denser board than most classic slots.
The DuelReels feature is triggered when VS symbols land on the reels: two outlaw characters face off in an animated stand-off duel, and whichever gunslinger wins has their multiplier applied across the entire reel, boosting every winning combination that passes through it during that spin. The game also includes a day/night cycle that alternates between two distinct visual and feature states as spins progress, adding variety to the base game beyond the duel mechanic itself.
With a 96.38% return-to-player and high volatility, Wanted Dead or a Wild is built for larger, less frequent payouts, reaching a maximum win of 12,500x the stake — one of the higher ceilings among the games covered here. The combination of its cinematic dueling mechanic, western theme and standout maximum win helped it become one of Hacksaw Gaming’s most talked-about releases, establishing the studio’s DuelReels format as a recurring mechanic in its later titles.