| Updated: September 24, 2025Dead or Alive is a 5-reel, 3-row slot that enjoys classic status within the NetEnt canon. As the name suggests, this game is themed around the Wild West and the outlaws who once roamed the American frontier. So, what else can you expect from this NetEnt offering? You can look forward to high volatility, an RTP of 96.82%, nine paylines, sticky wilds, scatter symbols, and plenty of free spins.
Paytable and Payouts
The reels appear on a wooden bulletin board like those you often see in Western movies – the very place where announcements for wanted criminals were posted. The symbols you can rely on for payouts are all related to the Wild Frontier theme of Dead or Alive.
The sheriff’s badge awards 1,000x your wager per line, while a holstered gun offers prizes of up to 750x for five matches. Next comes the cowboy hat, which yields rewards of 400x for five of a kind. A five-symbol combination of cowboy boots or glasses of whiskey pays 300x and 200x the line bet, respectively.
The low-paying symbols are the usual playing cards – 10, J, Q, K, and A. These award between 2x and 100x your line bet, depending on the specific card and the number of matches you score. You need at least three matching symbols to secure a win, with winning combinations aligning on paylines from the leftmost reel to the rightmost.
Extra Features and Symbols of Interest
What special features does Dead or Alive offer? The developers have equipped the slot with two types of wild symbols. The regular wild features a “Wanted” poster and pays 1,500x your line stake. It substitutes for all symbols except the scatter.
There are also five sticky wilds, depicted as posters of wanted outlaws. These symbols substitute as well, but they remain in their positions on the reels for the entire duration of the bonus feature. They can also retrigger additional bonus rounds. When one or more sticky wilds land during the feature, they award five extra spins.
Speaking of free spins, you can activate them by landing three or more scattered gun symbols in any base-game round. You begin with 12 free spins and can retrigger them once per free-spin session, thanks to the sticky wilds. Each spin benefits from a 2x multiplier on all wins.
Recap
Dead or Alive may feature only a limited number of paylines, but it is still worth checking out for its lucrative bonus round. The graphics are superb, as one would expect from a software studio of this caliber. Authentic saloon music and gunshot sounds further enhance the experience.