How Dead or Alive works

Dead or Alive starts with a straightforward 5×3 reel layout and 9 fixed paylines. For the medium- and low-value symbols, NetEnt describes winning combinations as running along a bet line from left to right.

The Scatter works differently. NetEnt’s Game Sheet states that two or more Scatters can pay in the base game, with the Scatter award applied to the total bet. Land three or more Scatters anywhere and the game moves into its main feature: 12 Free Spins.

That is where Dead or Alive changes character. The feature doubles bet-line wins and turns any Wild that lands into a persistent Sticky Wild. Rather than disappearing after one spin, that Wild stays in its position while the remaining Free Spins play out.

How Free Spins work in Dead or Alive

Three or more Scatter symbols appearing anywhere in the base game award 12 Free Spins at the same bet level as the triggering game.

Three or more Scatter symbols anywhere in the base game award 12 Free Spins.

During the feature, NetEnt’s Game Sheet states that bet-line wins are doubled with an x2 multiplier. In other words, the x2 applies to line wins rather than every possible award shown during the feature.

The other major change is the Wild behaviour. Any Wild that appears during Free Spins becomes sticky, so the reel layout can accumulate fixed Wild positions as the feature continues.

How Sticky Wilds work in Dead or Alive

A Wild that lands during Free Spins does not leave on the next spin. It remains fixed in the position where it landed for the duration of the Free Spins session.

The Wild substitutes for paying symbols except the Scatter. During Free Spins, a landed Wild stays fixed in that position for the rest of the feature.

What makes the mechanic interesting is persistence: one Wild can remain on the grid while later spins add more Sticky Wilds elsewhere.

You can therefore see the feature build from spin to spin. A Sticky Wild on reel 2, for example, stays there while later Wilds can appear on reels 1, 3, 4 or 5. These are not one-spin Wilds: the landed positions carry forward through the remaining feature spins.

NetEnt’s Game Sheet also states that existing Sticky Wilds remain in place if the feature awards additional Free Spins. The extra spins therefore continue from the Sticky Wild state already built up, rather than starting with a cleared reel set.

How the 5 extra Free Spins work

Dead or Alive does not use a standard Scatter retrigger for this extension. Instead, the condition is tied directly to the Sticky Wild mechanic.

NetEnt states that when at least one Sticky Wild is present on every reel, the game awards 5 additional Free Spins.

The Sticky Wilds already on the reels remain fixed through those additional spins. So the extra five spins continue with the Wild positions that earned the extension in the first place.

The rules tell us exactly what awards the extra five spins, but not how often the feature reaches that point. Slotathon therefore does not put a frequency on it.

Dead or Alive RTP versions and hit frequency

NetEnt’s current Dead or Alive page lists 96.82% RTP and a 30.00% hit frequency. Its 2020 Game Sheet v1.1 documents seven RTP configurations: 90.07%, 92.06%, 93.06%, 94.03%, 95.03%, 96.82% and 98.08%, with availability able to vary by jurisdiction or exclusivity agreement.

For the 96.82% configuration, the Game Sheet gives a hit frequency of 30.42%, while the current page shows 30.00%. They are different NetEnt source states, so Slotathon keeps them separate.

Neither RTP nor hit frequency tells you how often Sticky Wilds will cover all five reels, how often the extra five spins will appear or what will happen in a particular session.

What is the maximum payout in Dead or Alive?

NetEnt’s current game page lists a maximum payout of 8,600× bet, which is the current figure Slotathon uses.

The 2020 Game Sheet’s simulation table also contains a non-zero outcome band at 13,888× bet or more. It does not state 13,888× as a hard maximum, so that older simulation data stays separate from the current 8,600× max-payout figure.

Great Britain stakes, Bonus Buy and volatility

For online slots in Great Britain, the statutory maximum stake per game cycle is £5 for customers aged 25 and over and £2 for customers aged 18 to 24. Operators can set lower limits, so NetEnt’s generic euro-denominated developer range is not the UK-facing stake answer.

Direct Bonus Buy / Feature Buy is not presented as available in Great Britain. Gambling Commission material records that feature buy-in slot products were required to be removed from GB-regulated operators. The original Dead or Alive material reviewed by Slotathon does not document a separate paid feature purchase.

Volatility is less clear. An earlier review of NetEnt’s page recorded High, but the page material checked in October 2026 shows the Volatility heading without a value we can verify. Slotathon therefore leaves the current label unspecified.

When was Dead or Alive released?

NetEnt’s current game page lists 10 November 2009 as the release date, and that is the date Slotathon uses.

The core Free Spins and Sticky Wild rules are consistent across the NetEnt material reviewed here. Where later metadata differs, such as hit frequency or maximum-payout presentation, those versions are kept separate in the sections above.