Hacksaw Gaming in the modern video slot match-up

From RGS platform to its own titles

Hacksaw Gaming was founded in 2018 and did not start out as a classic slot maker. It launched as an RGS platform – the technical backbone through which games reach casino operators. Its own titles came later and are now what most players know the studio for.

Legally, two companies stand behind the brand: Hacksaw AB, based in Stockholm, and HGMT Ltd in Malta. Since 2023 the studio has also offered OpenRGS, opening its platform to other game makers. For players this is more of a curiosity, but it explains why the Hacksaw logo sometimes appears next to titles from other brands.

Source: official hacksawgaming.com website, verified 8 Oct 2026.

Four versions of the same slot

Modern slots allow far more comparison than live tables – and Hacksaw is one of the main reasons. The studio does not publish one RTP per game but a whole ladder of versions. For R.I.P. City that is 96.22%, then 94.27%, 92.32% and finally 88.02%.

Densho is built the same way: 96.40%, 94.38%, 92.33% and 88.34%. Between the top and bottom rungs there are roughly eight percentage points, which is no small gap over longer play.

Which rung a casino picks, you cannot tell from the studio website.

The public ladder is the maker’s statement of which versions exist. The operator deploys one of them, and the one you are playing shows in the game’s info panel (usually an ‘i’ icon or the rules in the menu). Only there is the definitive answer – not in a review, nor in our table.

Illustrative example (not Dukat.bet parameters): if you wagered a total of 1,000 EUR on R.I.P. City, the theoretical return on the 96.22% version is 962.20 EUR, on the 88.02% version only 880.20 EUR. The 82 EUR difference is a mathematical average over a very long run. A single session can stray from it in either direction, and by a lot.

Volatility in numbers: 3/5 versus 4/5

The second thing Hacksaw puts on the table is volatility expressed as a number. Instead of words like ‘high’ it uses a scale from 1 to 5. R.I.P. City rates 3/5, Densho 4/5.

In practice Densho expects longer dry spells and bigger hits, while R.I.P. City stays closer to the middle. Your session budget should follow suit – with a four, a smaller stake and more spins make sense.

The scale only holds within the studio, though. Novomatic also uses a five-step meter, but neither publishes its methodology, so a three at Hacksaw and a three elsewhere need not mean the same. PG Soft, for its part, states a verbal ‘medium’ for Mahjong Ways 2. You can set these figures side by side, but not convert one into another.

FeatureSpins, DuelReels and Bonus Buy in practice

A modern Hacksaw slot rarely rests on base spins alone. The studio adds its own branded layers and lets players choose how much risk they want.

FeatureSpins™ are alternative spin modes – BonusHunt is one of them. The price and effect of each mode are listed in the paytable of the game, so it pays to open it before the first spin.

DuelReels™ is another of the studio’s branded mechanics. How exactly it works in a given title is described in the game rules, not in general marketing.

Bonus Buy lets you pay a set multiple of your bet to jump straight into the bonus round. Variance is concentrated into one expensive moment: either the bonus pays or the price is gone. Also check whether the paytable lists a separate RTP for the bought bonus.

One rule applies to all three: none of these mechanics brings an assured profit, they only change the rhythm and distribution of results.

R.I.P. City and Densho side by side

In R.I.P. City the Wild Cat carries the game. It lands on a reel, expands to its full height and collects WILD multipliers on the way. Two bonuses (Ro$$ and Maxx) give the game two distinct faces, which with 3/5 volatility makes it a sensible entry into the Hacksaw world. A detailed breakdown is in the R.I.P. City profile.

Densho is tougher. Wild Multiplier Reels work with Common, Rare and Legendary symbols carrying multipliers of up to 100x, which add up. In free spins, Progression Trackers follow your progress and Super Free Spins wait at the top. More in the article on Densho.

A telling detail: the title with lower volatility has the higher max win. So the win cap alone does not tell you how harsh a game will feel in a normal session.

Where Hacksaw parts ways with PG Soft

Both teams build modern video slots, but with different centres of gravity. Hacksaw pulls players towards choosing their risk – spin modes, bonus buys, an RTP ladder. PG Soft starts from the phone: it designs games mobile-first, often in portrait, and relies on its Ways and Fortune series.

The data differs too. Hacksaw publishes several RTP versions and numeric volatility; PG Soft states one RTP for Mahjong Ways 2 (96.95%) and a verbal volatility. Neither approach is ‘right’; with Hacksaw you simply need to check the info panel more, because there are more versions.

If you are still torn between modern and classic slots, our decision table is in the category guide.

Hacksaw in the Dukat.bet list and Slots Bonus

At our check on 8 Oct 2026, Hacksaw was in the Dukat.bet provider list. Whether a specific title such as R.I.P. City or Densho is there too, we do not confirm – the offer changes, so check directly in the lobby using the provider filter.

For slots, Dukat.bet offers Slots Bonus – 500% up to 3,000 EUR + 15% Cashback. Which games count towards the terms and how Bonus Buy relates to the bonus should be checked in the official bonus terms; we do not guess them here.

The full map of studios by category is in the provider overview.