Dead or Alive Slot Review – Overview, Bonus Rounds & RTPs
Like a true sheriff, our Dead or Alive slot review frisks the NetEnt’s 2009 classic clean of all its little secrets, like the free spins bonus feature with prize multipliers leading to a max win of 12,000x the stake. Play Dead or Alive slot for free or real cash in top US internet casinos found below and claim their generous sign-up deals.
🎰 Name | Dead or Alive |
✅ RTP | 96.28% |
💻 Software | NetEnt |
👛 Max. Bet | $18 |
🆓 Variance | High |
💰 Jackpot | No |
#️⃣ Setup | 5 reels, 9 paylines |
📑 Release Date | 2009 |
❓ Similar Slots | Dead or Alive 2, Gimme Gold Megaways |
🏆 Best Casino | BetMGM |
🎁 Best Bonus | 100% up to $1000 + $25 on the house |
Dead or Alive Slot Overview
Dead or Alive is an online slot game developed by NetEnt. It has a 96.82% RTP with 9 paylines on 5 reels. The variance is measured as high. The features include free spins with prize multipliers and sticky wilds. Dead or Alive can be played from USA for free or for real money with a $0.09 – $18 bet range.
Dead or Alive – Rules, Payouts, and Bonus Features
The Dead or Alive online slot brings the perilous and gunslinging stories of the Wild West back to life across all of its 5×3 grid with nine fixed paylines. Once you load the game, you’ll find yourself in front of a saloon facing a brooding storm over your head.
If you look back, you’ll find a raging bunch of cowboys and poachers you need to take down like the famed Billy the Kid and Jesse James, which only adds to the whole atmosphere of the game. For a 2009 slot, the graphics are surprisingly top-notch, and so is the ambient soundtrack that so vividly evokes the atmosphere of the Old West.
To unholster your Colt 45 and get in on the action, you need to choose the size of your bet first. Dead or Alive is a slot that caters to players with different budgets thanks to its betting range, which goes from $0.09 to $18 per spin.
To speed up the action, you can use the Quick Spin option or the Autoplay feature. These let you instruct the machine to complete up to 1000 spins in your stead and save you the trouble of pressing that “Spin” button over and over again.
User-friendly controls are at the bottom of the screen, and so is the game’s main menu. There, you can find out more about free spins, sticky wilds, and a slightly above-average Dead or Alive RTP of 96.82%, even when NetEnt’s slots are concerned.
Dead or Alive Paytable and Symbols
Like in most other of NetEnt’s releases, Dead or Alive sports the lower and higher-value symbols duality. The lower-paying ones are traditional card symbols from 10 to Ace, whereas the higher-paying ones depict the sheriff’s badge, boots with silver spurs, whiskey shots, cowboy hat, and the gun holster belt.
However, the real bounty comes via the game’s wild and scatter symbols, so be on the lookout for those. The Wild substitutes all other symbols in a winning combo, except the scatter. The scatter symbols may appear on all reels, and landing three of them will activate the free spins bonus round, during which all wins get doubled.
- Guns and Bullets Scatter – Up to 2500x payout
- Wanted Poster Wild – Up to 1500x payout
- Sheriff’s badge – Up to 1000x payout
- Gun holster – Up to 750x payout
- Cowboy hat – Up to 400x payout
- Boots with silver spurs – Up to 300x payout
- Whiskey shots – Up to 200x payout
- A (Ace) – Up to 100x payout
- K (King) – Up to 75x payout
- Q (Queen) – Up to 50x payout
- J (Jack) – Up to 40x payout
- 10 – Up to 25x payout
Considering the slot’s high variance and its betting range from $0.09 to $18, it’s no wonder why linking five identical symbols on any payline may lead to such considerable payouts. The game’s maximum win potential is capped at 12,000x the stake, which is sizeable enough to cover for the game’s evident lack of a progressive jackpot. However, Dead or Alive might not be the best choice for high rollers, given its rather limited maximum wager of just $18.
Special Features
Landing three or more scatters in sight will trigger the free spins bonus round with 12 free games. All wins during the free spins are doubled, and that’s just half of the story. Before the free spins get rolling, you’ll receive a cash prize worth between 4x and 2500x your wager. Moreover, during the spins, the wild symbols assume a sticky position – they remain in the same place or the remainder of the spins.
What’s more, one or more Sticky Wilds will activate five extra spins. Note that you can only retrigger bonus free spins round of this slot once per the free spin session and that the Sticky Wild from the original free spins round will remain in place to help you boost your chances of winning.
Dead or Alive’s earned some bragging rights with its maximum win cap of 12,000x the stake. A large portion of those big wins comes by way of the free spins bonus feature. With Sticky Wilds galore, for example, you can win as much as 3000x your stake on every spin.
However, note that the free spins round is not so easily activated. Even after more than 100 spins played, we couldn’t land it, but if you are lucky enough, the very first spin you play could do the trick.
Best Casinos Offering Dead or Alive in 2025
- BetMGM (Best for Dead or Alive slot)
- Borgata (Widest selection of NetEnt slots)
- Virgin Casino (Best for online slots)
- bet365 (Best for slots payout percentage)
Dead or Alive – Free Play for US Players
Urging you to play responsibly is one of the most important caveats of this Dead or Alive slot review. Before you decide to put a few bucks down on Dead or Alive, you should play the demo version of the game first.
By playing for free at the leading Dead or Alive casinos available in the US for 2025 featured on our page, you’ll get a lot of valuable insight. You will learn how the game pays, its hit frequency, and many other details that can help you decide if the Dead or Alive online slot is worth your time and money.
Taking Dead or Alive for a test drive will undoubtedly reveal a simple yet exciting gameplay structure. There is also an interesting theme, as well as a promise of scoring some considerable wins thanks to a commendable Dead or Alive slot RTP of 96.82%. If we chip in a max win total of 12,000x the stake and a multi-faceted free spins bonus round, then the decision to play Dead or Alive for real money is a no-brainer for most players.
Dead or Alive Final Verdict: Perfect Slot for Low Stakes Players
I had a blast doing this Dead or Alive slot review and bringing you closer to the Wild West-themed NetEnt classic that started a whole series of slots with the same theme. Considering the game’s low betting range but high volatility, it is perfect for players who like to play it safe and bet smaller amounts in the best slot sites in the USA but still look to win big.
The free spins bonus round adds an additional layer of excitement, especially through the cash prize you get when triggering it and the Sticky Wild symbols that can boost the payouts of your every spin up to 3,000x.
Still, not everything about the Dead or Alive online slot is peachy perfect, so let’s take a closer look at its pros and cons before delivering a verdict on its quality.

- 12,000x max win
- Free spins bonus
- Sticky wilds
- Prize multipliers
- Detailed graphics
- Mobile-friendly
- Low betting range
- Insufficient bonus rounds
Conclusion and Other Recommended Slots
Dead or Alive has a ton of cool gameplay features to offer, from the retriggerable free spins bonus round to cash prize multipliers and Sticky Wilds. The graphics and animations are top-of-the-line, especially considering that it’s a 2009 slot. The 96.82% RTP goes hand in hand with a high volatility nature of the game.
However, its low betting range might be off-putting to high rollers, and there’s also an issue with only a single bonus round in the slot. Players are more used to seeing slots with multiple features round, such as the Gimme Gold Megaways slot, featuring cascading reels, mystery symbols, and more. If Wild West slots and you don’t see eye to eye, then check out the following slots that bring the diversity in themes and features you are after.
Dead or Alive set the tone for all subsequent Old West-themed slots. For a game that was built over a decade ago, it still offers crisp visuals and lively animation. The cash prize payout that supersedes the free spins bonus is a neat addition, and it already makes you a winner, no matter the outcome of the bonus. Moreover, during the free spins, you can look for prize multipliers and special wild symbols that keep the action going and prizes multiplying.
If you belong to that group of more prudish players with a limited bankroll, then Dead or Alive is just what Dr Slot ordered. Small betting limits but possibly big wins reign supreme in this NetEnt classic, so make sure to give it a try. If you’d like to discover more slot games online, check out our guide to the best slots in the US.
Please remember that online gambling is supposed to be fun, and it shouldn’t create more problems in your life. If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Council on Problem Gambling is here to help.
Popular Questions from US Players
Our detailed Dead or Alive slot review has come to a close, but before we call it quits, let’s make sure we answered all your questions. Keep reading for more information about the game and what your peers across the US are also wondering about the inner workings of the Dead or Alive online slot.