Dead or Alive 2 review
NetEnt returned to its 2009 western with Dead or Alive 2 on 23 April 2019. The saloons, outlaws and dusty duels are back with rebuilt art and sound, while the 5×3 grid with nine paylines stays exactly as it was. The real change comes once the bonus lands: you pick one of three free spins modes, ranging from fairly steady to brutal. That single choice turned the sequel into a favourite among players who like extreme variance.
The five Wilds are outlaws, described by NetEnt as the fiercest bandits of the Wild West. Visuals and sound are clearly more modern than in the first game, but the tone hasn’t softened: duels, outlaws and a hard frontier town. Even the bonus names tell a story, a saloon, a high-noon standoff and a train robbery, so picking one feels like choosing where the showdown happens, not just which rules apply.
Wilds, scatters and bonus selection
Fixed lines have no cascades, collectors or random base-game features. Five outlaw Wilds substitute for all paying symbols in regular play and in all three bonuses. Regular values appear in the game’s paytable. Scatters pay anywhere based on the total stake; enough of them add 12 free spins and a mode choice.
| Scatters | Pays | Triggers free spins |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2x | No |
| 3 | 4x | Yes |
| 4 | 25x | Yes |
| 5 | 2,500x | Yes |
The scatter payout comes before the bonus rather than replacing it. High Noon multiplier Wilds remain sticky and affect lines passing through them; how several combine on one line is unspecified here. In Train Heist a Wild first substitutes on its own spin, then disappears after adding a meter step.
Three free-spin modes
| Mode | Wilds | Multiplier | Extra spins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Saloon | Sticky for the whole round | 2x on all wins | +5 for two sticky Wilds |
| High Noon Saloon | Sticky; two on a reel become double, three become triple multiplier Wilds | Carried by the Wilds | +5 once every reel holds a sticky Wild |
| Train Heist | Not sticky | Bar moves one step per Wild, up to 16x | +5 when the bar fills |
Each mode describes an extension to 17 spins under its own condition. Further repeated extensions are not separately confirmed. Old Saloon’s accumulated Wilds also work on added spins; High Noon depends on grouping within a reel rather than count alone; Train Heist’s filled meter lets added spins run at the top multiplier.
Reviews call Old Saloon steadier, High Noon intermediate and Train Heist the most volatile. Hit rates and separate choice RTP are undisclosed, so stickiness or a higher maximum cannot establish a mathematical advantage. An early Wild leaves more later spins for its effect, without guaranteeing a payout total.
Return and conflicting maximum figures
Overall RTP is 96.80%, with no other builds listed. Evolution’s split is 68.6 percentage points from regular play and 28.2 from free spins. It is not a conditional return for a bonus-free session: excluding triggering outcomes changes the sample. Paid spins account for 30%, but a payout can be below the stake. The claimed 2.3-stake average on a winning base spin is derived from shares, not separately published statistics.
NetEnt describes high volatility, while Evolution rates it 9.9 out of 10. Bonus frequency is unspecified. NetEnt associates wins up to 100,000x with Train Heist, whereas the specification box and English FAQ give 111,111x. Reconciliation, maximum probability and termination at the cap are unconfirmed; one figure cannot be applied to all three modes.
The original and other westerns
November 2009’s Dead or Alive has 96.82% RTP, a 71.16%/25.65% regular/bonus split, a 30% paid-spin rate, an 18 maximum stake and a listed 12,000x maximum. The shares sum to 96.81%, 0.01 points below overall RTP, potentially through rounding. Its bonus gives 12 spins, sticky Wilds, doubled wins and five extra spins for a Wild on every reel: a different condition from the sequel’s Old Saloon. Dead or Alive vs Dead or Alive 2 comparison compares the versions.
March 2026’s Dead or Alive 3: Wanted lists a 66,666x maximum. Hacksaw’s Wanted Dead or a Wild uses high volatility and a 12,500x limit, while Pragmatic Play’s Wild West Gold has 96.51% RTP. NetEnt retains the original layout in the sequel, adding a choice of bonus structure rather than more base-game events.
