About Hacksaw Gaming
Hacksaw launched in September 2018 designing online scratch cards, moved into slots the following year, and became one of the fastest growing studios in the industry. It now employs more than a hundred people between Msida in Malta and Stockholm, and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, which is unusual for a studio less than a decade old.
Its house style is unmistakable. Hand drawn, slightly grubby character art, heavy sound design, and maths built around a single dramatic feature rather than layers of small ones. Wanted Dead or a Wild, Chaos Crew and the Le series all look like they came from the same sketchbook, and that consistency is a large part of why the studio built a following so quickly.
Hacksaw also runs OpenRGS, the technical platform it licenses to other independent studios so they can reach operators without building their own infrastructure. Ace Roll is one such studio. That means some games reaching casinos through Hacksaw’s platform are not made by Hacksaw at all, though they behave similarly because they share the same underlying system.
Most Popular Hacksaw Gaming Slots
The titles you will find in almost every lobby carrying Hacksaw, shown with their standard RTP.
| Slot |
RTP |
Volatility |
| The Bowery Boys |
96.41% |
High |
| Wanted Dead or a Wild |
96.38% |
High |
| Chaos Crew |
96.30% |
High |
| Keep ‘Em |
96.27% |
Medium |
| RIP City |
96.22% |
Medium |
Notice how narrow that band is. Hacksaw keeps its slots within roughly two tenths of a percent of each other, which is unusually consistent, and it means the choice between them is about how a game feels rather than what it returns.
Wanted Dead or a Wild
The game that made the studio’s name. A western themed slot built around three separate bonus modes of escalating volatility, where the Duel at Dawn round is the one players chase. High volatility, 96.38% RTP, and a reputation for very long gaps between meaningful wins.
Chaos Crew
Graffiti styled, deliberately abrasive, and the title that established Hacksaw’s visual identity. It has since become a series, with Chaos Crew 2 winning SiGMA’s Best Game of the Year in 2023.
The ‘Em and Le series
Two running families of games. The ‘Em series, including Keep ‘Em, Drop ‘Em and Stack ‘Em, is built around collecting cash values on screen, and tends to be more approachable. The Le series, including Le Bandit, Le Cowboy and Le Pharaoh, is the more volatile line.
Beyond Slots: Scratch Cards and Instant Win
This is the part of the catalogue most players never open, and it works on completely different principles from the slots.
| Product |
What it is |
Why it differs from a slot |
| Scratch cards |
50+ instant win titles, the largest range in the industry |
One card, one result, no bonus rounds to wait for |
| Fixed prize games |
Set cash top prizes, up to €25,000,000 on My Lucky Number |
The prize is a fixed amount, not a multiple of your stake |
| Dare2Win series |
Crash, Plinko, Hi-Lo and instant table formats |
You decide when to stop, so the pacing is in your hands |
Availability varies more than the slots do. Plenty of casinos take Hacksaw’s slot range and skip the instant win titles entirely, so if the scratch cards are what you are after, check the lobby before signing up.
Volatility and Max Win Potential
Hacksaw builds high volatility games almost exclusively, and this is where the studio divides opinion. Ceilings range from around 10,000x on the more approachable titles like Keep ‘Em up to figures many times that on the studio’s most extreme releases.
The consistent 96.3% RTP across the catalogue tells you nothing about how a session will feel. That figure is a long run average measured across enormous numbers of spins, and Hacksaw’s maths concentrates the return inside rare bonus rounds.
💡 A Good RTP Does Not Mean a Comfortable Session: Hacksaw’s slots return around 96.3%, which is perfectly respectable, and that number will not protect you from two hundred spins without a meaningful win. The higher the ceiling, the rarer the events that produce it, so most of your stake funds outcomes you will probably never see. This is the trade you are accepting with a studio like this. It is a legitimate one if you want that shape of game, but decide it before you start rather than three hundred spins in.
Bonus Buys and Feature Spins
Buy features are central to how Hacksaw games are designed rather than bolted on afterwards:
- BonusHunt FeatureSpins: around three times your stake, which improves the chance of triggering a bonus rather than guaranteeing one
- Direct feature buys: straight purchase of a bonus round, priced by which mode you choose
- Multiple bonus modes: most titles offer two or three at different prices and volatility levels
Bonus buys are restricted or banned in several regulated markets including the UK, so the buttons may be missing from your lobby even where the game itself is available.
Mobile Compatibility
Hacksaw designs for phones first and desktop second, in portrait rather than landscape, which is the opposite of how most studios still work. Games are light, load quickly on mobile data, and the controls are placed for one handed use. On older phones the catalogue is among the most dependable in the industry.
Which Casinos Offer Hacksaw Gaming?
More than 3,000 operators across 35 or more regulated markets, spanning strictly licensed brands and international and crypto friendly casinos. Hacksaw is particularly heavily represented at crypto brands.
The casino list on this page shows only operators that carry Hacksaw and accept players from your country. When comparing them, check:
- Whether the scratch cards and Dare2Win instant win games are available, not just the slots
- Whether bonus buys are enabled in your market
- Whether Hacksaw games count toward bonus wagering, since high volatility titles are sometimes restricted
- Whether the fixed prize games are offered, as these need a separate arrangement
- The operator licence and whether it is recognised in your jurisdiction
Are Hacksaw Gaming Slots Fair?
Yes. Hacksaw holds licences from fourteen regulators including the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority, its games carry ISO certification and eCOGRA approval, and as a company listed on Nasdaq Stockholm it operates under public company reporting obligations on top of gambling regulation.
That combination, a young studio with heavyweight licensing and public listing, is rarer than it sounds. Many studios of similar age operate under one offshore licence and disclose almost nothing.
✅ Volatile Is Not the Same as Unfair: High volatility games attract accusations of being rigged more than any other kind, simply because long losing runs feel deliberate. They are not. A certified 96.3% game with a rare, huge bonus round will produce exactly those runs, and the maths is doing what it was approved to do. The genuine risk with a studio like this is not the maths, it is misjudging how much bankroll a game this shape demands before the bonus round ever arrives.
Hacksaw Compared to Other Studios
Compared to Nolimit City, these are the two studios most associated with punishing volatility, and they are frequently played by the same people. Nolimit pushes ceilings higher and themes darker, while Hacksaw is more consistent on RTP and considerably better on mobile.
Compared to Pragmatic Play, the contrast is scale against focus. Pragmatic covers slots, live casino and bingo for the widest possible audience. Hacksaw makes high volatility slots and instant win games for a narrower one, and its RTP is more predictable across the catalogue.
Compared to the studios on its own platform, such as Ace Roll, Hacksaw is the established name and the technical host. Games from those studios share the same bonus buy structure and reach the same casinos, but the maths and the art are their own.
Pros and Cons of Hacksaw Gaming
Advantages
- Consistent RTP of around 96.3% across the whole slot catalogue
- Licensed by fourteen regulators and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm
- The largest scratch card and instant win range in the industry
- Genuinely mobile native, designed in portrait rather than adapted
- Instantly recognisable art and sound design
- Available at more than 3,000 operators
Disadvantages
- Almost everything is high volatility, with few calmer options
- Long losing runs are normal and can be punishing
- Heavy reliance on bonus buys, which are banned in several markets
- Sequels and series make the catalogue feel repetitive
- Many casinos carry the slots but not the scratch cards
- No live casino, so it cannot fill a lobby on its own
Related Providers
- Nolimit City – the closest match on volatility, and often played by the same people.
- Ace Roll – builds on Hacksaw’s OpenRGS platform, so the mechanics feel familiar.
- Print Studios – similar boutique scale and appetite for risk.
- Relax Gaming – comparable volatility with a broader catalogue behind it.
- Pragmatic Play – the mainstream alternative if Hacksaw’s swings are too sharp.
- Play’n GO – same mobile first instinct, far more restrained maths.
