The Wild Gang

The Wild Gang Slot Review

Slot Provider: Pragmatic Play

RTP: 96.02% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 10,000x

Our Score: 8.2

Play at Casimba
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About The Wild Gang

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 16th December 2023

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

The Wild Gang is a 6-reel, high variance Western slot from Pragmatic Play with up to 4,096 win ways. It has a dark, outlaw theme with four gang members who double up as both wilds and scatters on the reels. As wilds they land with 2x, 3x or 4x multipliers. When 3 drop then the Wanted Free Spins round triggers with 8 spins and a progressive multiplier. When 4 drop then the Dead or Alive Free spins round triggers with a bigger progressive multiplier and an extended reel set.

The maximum win in The Wild Gang is 15,000x and spins start at 20p.

The Wild Gang Game Information

  • Release Date: 16.03.23
  • RTP: 96.02% | 95.03% | 94.03%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 10,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: Up to 4
  • Paylines: Win Ways
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Wild West
  • Features: Wilds, Multiplier Wilds, Free Spins, Progressive Multipliers

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played The Wild Gang

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on The Wild Gang for free on Pragmatic Play’s test server before it was released. This is what happened:

  • Stake Size: $1
  • Start balance: $100,000
  • End balance: £99,940.20
  • Hit Rate: 24.5% (49 winning spins in 200)
  • Biggest Win: 10.8x
  • Free Spins Round: 0
  • Session Time: 17 minutes 21 seconds

Whilst the potential of this game looks impressive on paper, that didn’t really hold true during my 200 spins. The win rate wasn’t bad at all – 24.5% is better than many high variance games. But whilst Wilds landed on 26 out of 200 spins (13%) they only triggered wins on 7 occasions (3.5%). That is OK, but I never saw a multiplier higher than 2x and the biggest win involving a multiplier wild was just 4.5x.

In fact, the Mystery Symbols were more useful. They showed up 11 times (5.5%) and helped produce the biggest win of the session, a 10.8x. The effectiveness of Mystery Symbols depends on how many land of course, and in this case, 10 dropped at once to all reveal Kings.

A 10.8x win in The Wild Gang
A 10.8x win from Mystery Symbols in testing

And finally, I didn’t get a sniff of the free spins round AT ALL!

In short, its fair to say that The Wild Gang behaved as you might expect a high variance game to. I ripped through 200 spins on no time, and on this occasion, the slot just wasn’t ready to deliver.

What We Liked

  • Multiplier wilds of up to 4x combine when they appear in win ways
  • Cool outlaw theme and wild west artwork
  • Progressive multipliers in free spins round can grow large
  • In Dead or Alive free spins the reels extend to give 4,096 win ways
  • Nice 10,000x max win to play for

What We Didn't like

  • Very volatile and tight payouts in testing
  • A well-worn and unoriginal theme

The Wild Gang Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 8
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 8
  • Symbols and Paytable 8
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A classic high variance western game with big progressive multiplier potential in the free spins round but wicked volatility to overcome!"

Overall Score: 8.2

Theme & Design

Our Score 8

A Classic Western Slot With Outlaw Gang

Pragmatic Play are pulling many Western tropes out of the bag for this one – the last gang in town, blood red skies and a lonely mining town. In short, they’ve gone for the darker side of the outlaw narrative in keeping with current trends. The setting is a dusty old main street, red rock mountains in the distance and a wood-framed reel set in the foreground. A classic slow Mexican guitar soundtrack completes the picture. It’s not as dark as Nolimit City’s True Grit or Tombstone RIP of course, but the atmosphere is still tense and the scene well set.

The Wild Gang by Pragmatic Play
The Wild Gang – dark, outlaw slot from Pragmatic Play

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

The Wild Gang has three available RTP settings – which you play at will be at the discretion of the slot site you choose. They are 96.02%, 95.03% and 94.03%. There is little between them and you wouldn’t notice the difference between 94.03% and 96.2% when you were playing. But still, to give yourself the best chance of coming out on top, look for sites that run the game at 96.2%. In our testing I have found that MrQ (Lindar Media) and Barz Casino (White Hat Gaming) consistently run these games at the top level.

NOTE: During BOTH free spins rounds the RTP will increase by 0.02% (so to 96.04% at the optimum level).

This is also one of Pragmatic Play’s high variance games so expect a volatile payout distribution. The game can swing from low to high in an instant where wilds, multipliers and free spins combine to kick out big wins.

Maximum Win

Our Score 8

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

The maximum payout you will see from this slot is 10,000x which is good for a Pragmatic Play slot. There are games from this provider with bigger potential but this still represents a good opportunity.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 8

The first thing you need to know is that The Wild Gang is a win ways slot. That means wins are triggered by landing 3 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of their row position, from left to right, starting at the left most reel.

The Wild Gang Paytable
The paytable with 7.5x wins for 6 premiums

The second thing to know is that the game has a different configuration for the base game and free spins round. In the base game there are 6 reels with a row set up of 3-4-4-4-4-3. In the Dead or Alive free spins round that shifts to 4-4-4-4-4-4 to increase the win ways in play.

That means you have 2,304 win ways in the base game (3x4x4x4x4x3), then the classic 4,096 in the Dead or Alive free spins round (4x4x4x4x4x4).

Symbol values are OK, not huge, but remember you have lots of multipliers to power them up. There are 9 pay symbols in all. That’s 4 low payers – jack, queen, king and ace – valued at from 0.15x for 3 jacks up to 0.7x for 6 aces. And 5 premiums – cowboy boots, bottle and shot glasses, knife, pistol and sheriff’s badge – valued at from 0.25x for 3 cowboy boots up to 7.5x for 6 sheriff’s badges.

There are also our 4 outlaws who represent both Wilds and Scatters which is explained in the next part of our review.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

The Wild Gang Complete Paylines and Trigger Free Spins

Unusually for an online slot, The Wild Gang uses 4 Wild symbols, and they all double up as scatters. They are represented by the four outlaw characters that give the game its name. They can drop on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5 at any time.

The Wild Gang with 2x wild multiplier
A 2x wild multiplier on reel 4

During the base game, if any of the gang drops onto reel 2 or 3 then they count as a wild and substitute for any pay symbol to complete a win way. Importantly, they also come with a wild multiplier of 2x, 3x or 4x which is randomly applied and triggers if a win passes through that wild.

If 2 or more multiplier wilds are in a win way, their values are MULTIPLIED. That’s great because a 4x and a 4x would become 16x!

Now, the Wild Gang also function as scatters. If 3 or 4 land on one spin in the base game, then the free spins round is triggered.

Mystery Symbols Transform Into The Same Symbol

There is also a Mystery Symbol in this game which shows the gang all together on horseback. When it lands, all instances will transform into the SAME pay symbol before wins are calculated. This can be useful in helping to complete win ways.

Two Free Spins Rounds

The Wild Gang has TWO free spins rounds. Let’s look at them one by one.

Wanted Free Spins are triggered by landing 3 scatters on one base game spin. You get 8 spins where the gang members are always wild and NEVER scatters.

The first time any gang member drops they will have a 2x multiplier with them. The second time, they will have a 3x multiplier with them. But thereafter, NO multiplier.

The Mystery Symbols on The Wild Gang
Mystery Symbols appear in testing

Dead or Alive Free Spins are triggered by landing 4 scatters on one base game spin. Now, the reels expand to the full 6×4 configuration with 4,096 win ways in play. You get 8 spins where the first time a gang member drops they have a 2x multiplier and the second time a 4x multiplier, and thereafter, NO multiplier.

In BOTH rounds there is a progressive multiplier that is displayed to the side of the reels. It starts at 1x and is multiplied by each multiplier that appears on the reels during the free spins. So it can grow significantly over the round.

At the end of the round the total multiplier is applied to the total win from the round.

And finally, if in either round you land all FOUR wilds on one spins, you’ll be credited with an extra 2 spins. That can happen on TWO occasions, but no more.

The Final Verdict

The Wild Gang is not breaking any new ground but it will satisfy slots fans who enjoy a good high variance game with a classic outlaw look and the chance to build big multipliers in the free spins round. For me the game felt a little too weighted towards that bonus feature, with too little action in the base game. When this game is out, I would expect some huge hits for a few lucky punters, but many frustrating sessions too. So keep that in mind.

In conclusion, the wild west slot is a crowded niche and whilst this is a solid game, I feel it doesn’t do enough to stand out.

Useful Tips When Playing The Wild Gang

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Set Your Stake Low 

In a highly volatile game like this I always recommend that you start with a low stake to make your balance stretch further. You can bet a minimum of 20p per spin.

2. Watch The Progressive Multiplier During Free Spins

Keep your eye on that progressive multiplier during the free spins round. It will grow and grow as more multipliers land, then be applied to your overall win. That can help you to trigger a huge payout at the end.

3. Make Sure You Play At A Good RTP

Check the RTP setting in the game before you spin to make sure you are playing at the optimum level of 96.02%. To do this, hit the ‘i’ at the bottom of the page then scroll through until you see the RTP setting displayed. If its less than 96%, play elsewhere!

4. Play At A Licensed UK Slot Sites

We recommend the slot sites on this page because they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and operate under strict UK law. That means they are fair, safe and secure. Never play at unlicensed casinos.

 

Who Made The Wild Gang?

  • Name: Pragmatic Play
  • Established: 2015
  • UK License: Remote 046683-R-325951-014
  • Total Games: 500 +
  • Known For: Wide range of themes and styles, live casino including gameshow formats, and bingo
  • Popular Slots: Fruit Party, Dog House Megaways, Big Bass Bonanza, Release the Kraken
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