The Tecmo fighting game
A console fighting series and its film adaptation. Shares the phrase, nothing else — no reels, no RTP, no saloon.
NetEnt’s spaghetti-western slot: nine fixed lines, sticky wilds and one brutal free-spins round that carries the game to 6,000x.
18+ · Play responsibly · BeGambleAware.org
Dead or Alive keeps the maths old-school: five reels, nine fixed paylines, high volatility, no cascades and no ways to win. The licensed build decides the RTP — operators run anywhere between 90.07% and 96.82%, and the in-game rules screen shows the live figure for the table you have actually sat down at.
The bonus is the whole reason the game is still in every lobby: three crossed-pistol scatters award 12 free spins at a flat 2x multiplier with sticky wilds, and from there the wins climb to roughly 6,000x the bet. Everything else on this page is context for that one round.
Because every payline is fixed, the bet ladder stays simple: pick a coin value and a level, and the online slot spreads the stake across all nine lines. There is no bonus buy, no gamble feature and no jackpot meter — the whole slot machine is built around one question: do the free spins arrive before the balance runs dry?
That refusal to decorate is why the game outlived every design fashion since its release. Newer titles stack mechanic on mechanic; this one bets everything on a single brutal bonus round and on players who accept long dead stretches as the price of one unforgettable screen.
| Provider | NetEnt |
|---|---|
| Reels × rows | 5 × 3 |
| Paylines | 9, fixed |
| RTP | 90.07 – 96.82% |
| Volatility | High |
| Max win | 3,000x base · 6,000x in free spins |
High volatility 9 lines 
Three crossed-revolver scatters open 12 free spins with every win doubled. Any wild that lands sticks for the rest of the round, and each new wild adds five extra spins — a good start compounds into the 6,000x ceiling.
The arithmetic is what made the round famous. Every sticky wild stays exactly where it landed until the round ends, so the board only ever gets better — each new wild permanently raises the odds of the next line hit. Add the flat 2x multiplier on every win and the five extra spins that arrive with each fresh wild, and a strong opening snowballs far past the original twelve.
Players call the dream scenario a wild line: sticky wilds across a full payline early in the round. It is rare enough that clips of it still circulate years later, and it is the only road to the 6,000x ceiling.
The flip side of high volatility: most rounds end quiet, and the average bonus disappoints so that the exceptional one can pay. That is the deal Dead or Alive has offered since day one.
The widget below is a feel-piece, not the real engine: three reels instead of five, no stakes, no RTP. For the actual play-money demo — full grid, real paytable, real bonus round — use the operator link underneath and pick the free mode.
Illustrative only — a play-money preview. Nothing here changes any real bonus, deposit or odds.
“Dead or Alive” is a crowded phrase. If you searched it bare, you may have meant one of these — only one of them spins. Search engines blend all three together, so it is worth thirty seconds to check you are in the right place.
A console fighting series and its film adaptation. Shares the phrase, nothing else — no reels, no RTP, no saloon.
“Wanted Dead or Alive”, 1986. The song also fuels the endless mix-up with Hacksaw’s Wanted Dead or a Wild — a different western slot from a different studio.
The NetEnt western that made sticky wilds a genre. You’re in the right saloon — this whole page is its review.
A quick test if you are still unsure: if the thing you remember has health bars, it was the fighting game; if it has a steel horse, it was the song; if it had nine paylines and a wanted poster that refused to leave the screen, you are home.
111,111x in the sequel The 2019 sequel keeps the nine lines but raises the ceiling to 111,111x and lets you choose one of three free-spins saloons. The original is slower, simpler and cheaper on the nerves — both run the same western at heart, so the choice is temperament rather than mechanics.
| Dead or Alive | Dead or Alive 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Max win | 6,000x | 111,111x |
| Free-spins modes | 1 | 3 (player’s choice) |
| RTP | 90.07–96.82% | 96.82% |
The sequel’s three saloons let you pick your own variance: Train Heist behaves, Old Saloon mirrors the original, and High Noon Saloon is the one streamers open when they want a run at the full 111,111x. Read the Dead or Alive 2 review →
The operator we link to carries the full NetEnt catalogue, browser demos of both Dead or Alive games, and a licensed cashier. The current welcome offer and its wagering are listed on the operator’s promotions page.
Playing for real money changes nothing about the maths on this page — same RTP band, same free spins — but it does add a cashier, so treat the deposit screen with respect. Set a cap before the first spin, not after the first dry hour. If the lobby search draws a blank, filter by NetEnt — both games sit in the classics row.
18+ · New players · T&Cs apply · BeGambleAware.org
Any wild landing during the 12 free spins locks in place for the remainder of the round, and each new wild also adds five extra spins, so a good start compounds. The wilds reset only when the bonus ends — nothing carries over into the base game.
It depends on the licensed build: figures range from 90.07% up to 96.82%. The rules screen inside the game states the active number, and it is worth checking before you deposit — two casinos can run the same slot nearly seven points apart.
No. Tecmo's fighting series, the film and the Bon Jovi song share the phrase only; this page is a review of the NetEnt slot. If you were actually hunting the Hacksaw western, that game is called Wanted Dead or a Wild and has its own page here.
The sequel raises the ceiling to 111,111x and lets you pick one of three free-spins modes; the original is slower, simpler and cheaper on the nerves. Try both demos before staking anything — the right answer is about temperament, not maths.
Years on, Dead or Alive is still the reference point for high-volatility westerns: one bonus, nine lines, no filler, and a free-spins round that either changes the session or ends it. If you want modern pacing and a taller ceiling, take the sequel; if you want the purest form of the sticky-wild gamble, the original is the one to load. And if the name that brought you here was actually the Hacksaw western, the comparison page will sort you out in a minute.
Play it like the outlaw game it is: set a deposit cap, keep a timer running, and treat every bonus as the last one of the day. 18+ — our responsible gambling page and BeGambleAware.org are free.
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