Once talked about as the top online slot game creators on the planet, NetEnt has been somewhat overtaken in recent years by the likes of NoLimit City. This is an uber competitive field of course but NetEnt are determined to retake their crown and their latest game may help them to reassert themselves.
NetEnt’s Dead or Alive Franchise
NetEnt’s first Dead or Alive slot machine burst onto the scene all the way back in 2009 and few slots have ever delivered the quality of this one. The original Dead or Alive is somewhat dated now although there are still plenty of people who continue to play it, but it was this game which helped to turn NetEnt into one of the biggest slot machine developers in the world.
The second Dead or Alive slot machine was released 10 years later in 2019 and this one was bigger and better than ever. With a maximum payout of 111,111x, Dead or Alive 2 instantly became one of the best paying slot games in the world according to this list and although some similar slots now have even higher payouts, Dead or Alive 2 remains an extremely high standard slot game popular with players.
Fortunately, players have not had to wait another ten years for the third instalment of the series. Dead or Alive 3: Wanted has a release date of 26th March 2026 and whilst the maximum payout has decreased, the number of game features has drastically increased, paving the way for this one to be the best and most exciting one of the franchises.
What to Expect from Dead or Alive 3: Wanted
A dark Wild West theme awaits and you should expect plenty of revolvers and shootouts as soon as you begin playing Dead or Alive 3. For those of you who would like to know a little more about the mechanics you can expect, this slot primarily revolves around its Wild symbols/mechanics. Wanted Wilds and Bounty Hunter Wilds will ensure that the multipliers become higher when they do land. Like the other games in the Dead or Alive series, this one will also have high volatility (something we discuss here) and this means that when payouts do occur, they will tend to be on the higher side.
There are two different free spins bonus games too. Bonus games are usually the highlight of any slot, and this one is no different. Scatter symbols are your key to triggering the free spins, you must land at least three of these symbols to enter the free spins game. Five of them will trigger the Super free spins game where you will be guaranteed a certain number of Wild symbols per spin.
The final icing on the cake of Dead or Alive 3 are its ‘Elevate’ features which are becoming more and more common in modern online slot machines. These features allow you to choose to pay a certain amount in order to guarantee that a certain symbol or feature will land per spin. For example, for 5x the bet per spin, you can ensure that the maximum payout is increased from 33,333x to 66,666 and in addition, this will allow multipliers of up to 100x to land on the reels as symbol payouts. For 1,000x the bet, you can guarantee a minimum of three bonus symbols on the reels too - thus guaranteeing you access to the free spins game.
Will Dead or Alive 3 Become One of the Best?
It seems that NetEnt have made the Elevate features as the main focus when they created Dead or Alive 3. This is fine but it means that Dead or Alive 3 will be favoured by risk-takers and those players who love to gamble. Paying 1,000 times the bet to enter the free spins game is extremely high risk and for better or for worse, that’s how many slot games are these days.
So, will Dead or Alive 3 become one of the best slots ever? We do not think so. Is it fun to play? Absolutely. However, other than its Wild symbols, there is not enough happening here for it to rival some of the best modern slot games of all time.
