Hacksaw Gaming might already be well-known for their Western-themed slots, notably Wanted Dead or a Wild and 2 Wild 2 Die, but that hasn’t stopped them. They’ve just released yet another Western online slot with Duel at Dawn.
So what makes Duel at Dawn stand out from the competition, and most of all, can it hold its own in a duel (at dawn)?
Duel at Dawn slot overview
The Duel at Dawn online slot is undeniably Hacksaw, although it doesn’t immediately stand out as something new. The colors and artwork seem more muted than the other Western-themed slots from this studio, but it comes into its own once the features begin to land on the reels.
Speaking of reels, the symbols on the board are of higher quality than their predecessors. The flat 2D cow skull has been replaced by a fully realized one, as has the cowboy hat! It’s actually quite endearing to see the steps in quality over the years. Other symbols include a wheel, a sheriff’s badge, guns and cards. However, one of the low points of this game is the fact that the card symbols are almost impossible to see. Rather than just having a K symbol on the reels, the K symbol is hidden in the corner of the card which makes it very small - especially on a phone screen.
Duel at Dawn has several features at play, many of which can be accessed through the Bonus Buy feature if you don’t want to wait around. These include DuelReel Wilds, Outlaw Wilds, Wild Wild West Free Spins, Dusk ‘Til Dawn and Deadly Duels. We’ll go into more detail for each of these in the Duel at Dawn features segment further down in this guide.
Duel at Dawn slot pay table
If your stake is $1, then the following will pay out:
Symbol | 5x matched | 4x matched | 3x matched |
Wilds | 20 | - | - |
Sherrif Badge | 20 | 10 | 4 |
Pistols | 12 | 6 | 2 |
Cowboy Hat | 12 | 6 | 2 |
Cow Skull | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Wheel | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Jack, Queen, King, Ace | 2 | 1 | 0.20 |
Who made the Duel at Dawn slot game?
The Duel at Dawn slot game comes from Hacksaw Gaming, one of the biggest and most well-respected modern online slot providers. This studio is behind some of the biggest online slot games, such as Fire My Laser, Chaos Crew, Le Bandit, Le Pharoh, Wings of Horus, Wanted Dead or a Wild and Donut Division - just to name a few. Some of these were featured in our 2024 recap: The best online slot games of the year guide, which is available here.
Founded in 2018, Hacksaw Gaming has grown from a rookie studio into one of the biggest in the industry. Since gaining popularity with its popular online slot games, the team has since branched out and now includes instant win games and scratchcards in its portfolio.
The studio made its debut into the world of US online casinos in 2023 through a deal with Rush Street Interactive and its brand, BetRivers. Since then, Hacksaw Gaming is available in New Jersey, West Virginia and other states. If you’re looking where to play Hacksaw Gaming slots in the US, try BetRivers, Caesars, Borgata, BetMGM or others.
Pros and Cons of Duel at Dawn
+ Multipliers can reach up to 200x
+ Offers a few more features than Wanted Dead or a Wild
+ Buy Bonus available at all price points
- Studio already has a well-loved western slot
- Doesn’t look like it offers a particularly unique experience
Duel at Dawn slot table
RTP | 96.3% |
Volatility | High |
Reels | 5 |
Rows | 5 |
Paylines | 19 |
Studio | Hacksaw Gaming |
Theme | Western |
Free Spins | Yes |
Bonus games | Yes |
Min bet | 0.1 |
Max bet | 100 |
Max win | 15,000x |
Duel at Dawn slot features
There are a lot of features active in Duel at Dawn, so make sure you’re sat down and feeling comfortable before you read this next section.
Outlaw Wilds: The Expanding Wild will not only cover the entire reel, but also shoot out additional Wilds across the board and apply a multiplier too! This is a VERY busy Wilds symbol. It really does it all. Up to two of these can land each spin, and the multipliers will be between 2x and 200x.
DuelReels: If two VS symbols land on the reels, then in classic Western-themed style, we’ve got ourselves an old-fashioned duel! Both the Cowboy and the Sheriff will bring their own multipliers to the fight, and whoever wins will apply theirs to the reels. These will be between 2x and 200x.
Wild Wild West: When three FS symbols land on the reels, you’ll enter the free spins mode. This is similar to the base game, but along with the base ten free spins, you can be awarded extra free spins, VS and Outlaw symbols.
Dusk ‘Til Dawn: If you land four FS symbols, you’ll enter a different free spin mode (with the same ten free spins) where you’ll fight Dusk ‘Til Dawn. This mode has guaranteed VS symbols landing on the reels, which means more multipliers and expanding wilds than ever.
Hacksaw Gaming has implemented a Bonus Buy feature in Duel at Dawn, which means that you can buy directly into some of the minigames - or simply increase the odds of landing certain symbols and outcomes.
BonusHunt: For 3x your wager, you can spin the reels with 5x the chances to land bonus game symbols on the reels.
Deadly Duels: For 60x your wager, you can get a guaranteed DuelReels feature, but free spins cannot land.
Lone Outlaw: For 60x your wager, this guarantees at least one Outlaw Wilds feature, but free spins cannot land.
Does the Duel at Dawn slot game offer free spins?
There isn’t just one free spin mode at Duel at Dawn, but technically two! This is what sets it apart from many of the other popular Western online slots. If you land three FS symbols, you’ll enter the Wild Wild West, but four FS symbols will still give you ten free spins but with guaranteed VS symbols on the reels.
Duel at Dawn slot conclusion
It was an understandable concern to think that Duel at Dawn might be like any other Western online slot, but Hacksaw Gaming has really pulled out all the stops with this one. Duel at Dawn looks admittedly underwhelming at first ("Really, another Western slot from Hacksaw Gaming?") but its gameplay is impossible to ignore.
The features are balanced while creating depth to the game, and the Expanding Wilds can create some great combinations on the reels. If you’re sceptical about whether it’s worth trying out yet another Western-themed slot from Hacksaw Gaming, it’s easy to find a Duel at Dawn demo where you can use the Buy Feature to quickly check out all of the features on offer.