Pirate Bonanza is a high-volatility pay-anywhere slot from Backseat Gaming, released with Hacksaw Gaming on 9 July 2024. It plays on a 6×5 grid where 8 or more matching symbols anywhere pay and tumble away, and its value comes from the Cannon: when a Cannon is on the grid after the last tumble, bombs land on every winning position and add up to a multiplier for the whole tumble win. Bombs run from x2 to x100, and Golden bombs multiply the total again. RTP is 96.31% (also 94.26%), volatility is 4/5, and the maximum win is 10,000x the stake.
This information covers how tumbles mark squares for the Cannon, every bomb tier and how the multiplier is built, the full paytable, the two free spin modes, the Buy menu and what to expect from a 4/5 volatility session.
Pirate Bonanza characteristics
The spec sheet is short, but two details shape everything: there are no Wilds, and nearly all of the value depends on the Cannon arriving on a spin that already has wins.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Backseat Gaming (with Hacksaw Gaming) |
| Release | 9 July 2024 |
| Game type | Video slot, pay anywhere |
| Grid | 6 reels × 5 rows |
| Win system | 8+ matching symbols anywhere, with tumbles |
| RTP | 96.31% (also 94.26%) |
| Volatility | 4/5 |
| Hit frequency | 26.95% |
| Max win | 10,000x the stake |
| Stake range | €0.10 - €100 |
| Wild | None |
| Core feature | Cannon with multiplier bombs |
| Free spins | Load the Cannons (4 scatters), Fire at Will (5 scatters) |
| Bonus Buy | Four options, 3x to 250x (where permitted) |
Where to play Pirate Bonanza
Pirate Bonanza is distributed through Hacksaw Gaming's platform, so it appears at casinos that carry Hacksaw and its partner studios. The casino sets the RTP version, so check the info screen before your first real-money spin.
Pirate Bonanza summary
Pirate Bonanza is built on one link: wins create targets, and the Cannon fires at them. Every winning cluster pays and tumbles away as usual, but the positions it occupied stay highlighted for the rest of the spin. If a Cannon symbol is on the grid once the last tumble has paid, a bomb lands on every highlighted square, each bomb reveals a multiplier, and the combined multiplier is applied to the whole tumble win.
That makes the base game unusually streaky. A long tumble sequence with no Cannon pays only the symbol wins, which are small. The same sequence with a Cannon can multiply them many times over, because more tumbles mean more highlighted squares, and more squares mean more bombs. The free spins raise the Cannon's frequency, and the top mode keeps highlighted squares for the whole round.
The absence of a Wild is deliberate. Clusters only form from real matches, which keeps the hit rate at about one spin in four and puts the weight of the maths on the multiplier step.
Theme, design and sound
The setting is a pirate ship, with a captain who fires the Cannon when it lands. The premium symbols are pirate kit (a pirate hat, a compass, a treasure map and a bottle of rum) and the low symbols are five coloured gems. Bombs are colour-coded by tier: silver for low values, gold-plated for medium, and yellow for high.
The design choice that matters most is the highlighting. Winning positions stay lit after their symbols tumble away, so you can see how many bombs the Cannon would fire before it arrives. On a spin with a long tumble chain, the board tells you exactly how much is at stake.
RTP, volatility and max win
Pirate Bonanza ships in two RTP versions: 96.31% and 94.26%. The casino chooses one, and the info screen shows which. Over 1,000 spins at €1, the theoretical gap between them is 1,000 × €1 × (96.31% − 94.26%) ≈ €20.50.
Volatility is 4/5, high by any standard. The hit frequency is 26.95%, so a win lands on roughly one spin in 3.7, and most of those wins are small until a Cannon multiplies them. Expect long quiet stretches between meaningful results.
The maximum win is 10,000x the stake:
| Stake | Max win (10,000x) |
|---|---|
| €0.10 | €1,000 |
| €1.00 | €10,000 |
| €10.00 | €100,000 |
| €100.00 | €1,000,000 |
The cap is most realistic in Fire at Will, where highlighted squares last for the whole round and every Cannon fires at all of them.
How to play Pirate Bonanza
One spin runs in this order.
- Set the stake from €0.10 to €100. Every payout and Buy price is a multiple of it.
- Spin. Any 8 or more matching symbols anywhere on the 6×5 grid pay. There are no paylines and no Wilds.
- Tumble. Winning symbols disappear, new ones fall in, and the grid is checked again until no new wins form.
- Highlighted squares. Every position that was part of a win stays highlighted.
- Cannon check. If a Cannon is on the grid after the last tumble, bombs land on all highlighted squares and multiply the tumble win.
- Scatters. 4 or 5 Bonus scatters start a free spin mode.
Autoplay and faster spin modes are in the menu where your jurisdiction allows them. Want to try it first? The Pirate Bonanza demo runs the same rules with virtual credits.
Symbols and paytable
Pirate Bonanza has nine paying symbols in three payout groups. Payouts are multiples of the total stake for the number of matching symbols anywhere on the grid, from 8 up to 19 or more.
| Count | Gems (5 colours) | Bottle, Map | Compass, Pirate Hat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0.1x | 0.5x | 1x |
| 9 | 0.2x | 1x | 1.5x |
| 10 | 0.5x | 1.5x | 2x |
| 11-12 | 1x | 2x | 4x |
| 13-14 | 2.5x | 5x | 10x |
| 15-16 | 10x | 20x | 40x |
| 17-18 | 20x | 60x | 120x |
| 19+ | 50x | 200x | 400x |
The table shows why the Cannon matters. A typical base game win of 8 to 10 gems pays 0.1x to 0.5x; the same win under a x20 bomb total pays 2x to 10x. Big counts of a single premium symbol are rare, so the paytable is best read as the raw material the bombs multiply.
Pirate Bonanza special symbols
Three symbols drive the features.
| Name | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cannon | If it is on the grid after the last tumble, it fires bombs at every highlighted square. Pays nothing itself. |
| Multiplier bombs | Land on highlighted squares and reveal multipliers that add up (Low, Medium, High) or multiply the total (Golden). |
| Bonus scatter | 4 start Load the Cannons, 5 start Fire at Will. 3 during free spins add 5 spins. |
Pirate Bonanza bonus features
Every feature in Pirate Bonanza feeds the same calculation: how many highlighted squares are on the grid, and how strong the bombs are when the Cannon fires.
Tumbles
After each win, the winning symbols are removed and new ones fall in, so one spin can pay several times. Every win in the chain adds highlighted squares, which is why a long tumble chain is the best possible setup for a Cannon.
Cannon and multiplier bombs
The Cannon can fire on any base game spin or free spin. When it does, a bomb lands on every highlighted square and reveals one of four types. Bombs resolve left to right, top to bottom.
| Bomb | Values | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Low (silver) | x2, x3, x4, x5 | Added to the total multiplier |
| Medium (gold-plated) | x10, x15, x20, x25 | Added to the total multiplier |
| High (yellow) | x50, x75, x100 | Added to the total multiplier |
| Golden | x2, x3, x5, x10 | Multiplies the total multiplier |
The total multiplier is then applied to the whole tumble win for that spin.
Worked example (illustrative values). A spin chains three tumbles worth 1.5x in total and leaves 6 highlighted squares. A Cannon is on the grid. The bombs reveal x2, x3, x10, x5, x25 and a Golden x2. The additive bombs sum to 45, and the Golden bomb doubles it to x90. The tumble win becomes 1.5 × 90 = 135x, or €135 at a €1 stake. Without the Cannon, the same spin would have paid €1.50.
Load the Cannons
Four Bonus scatters in the base game start 10 free spins with a higher chance of the Cannon appearing. Three scatters landing together during the round add 5 more spins.
Fire at Will
Five Bonus scatters start 10 free spins with the same higher Cannon chance, plus one key change: highlighted squares stay marked until the feature ends. Every Cannon in the round fires at every square marked so far, so the number of bombs per Cannon keeps growing. Three scatters add 5 spins. This is the main route to 10,000x.
| Mode | Trigger | Spins | Cannon | Highlighted squares | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load the Cannons | 4 scatters | 10 (+5 per 3 scatters) | More frequent | Reset each spin | 100x |
| Fire at Will | 5 scatters | 10 (+5 per 3 scatters) | More frequent | Kept all round | 250x |
Can you buy the bonus in Pirate Bonanza?
Yes, where the jurisdiction allows it. Unlike many slots, both free spin modes are on the menu, including the top one.
| Option | Cost | RTP | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| BonusHunt FeatureSpins | 3x per spin | - | Scatter chance 5 times higher on each spin |
| Broadside FeatureSpins | 50x per spin | - | At least one Cannon on every spin |
| Load the Cannons | 100x | 96.35% | Direct entry to the 4-scatter mode |
| Fire at Will | 250x | 96.30% | Direct entry to the 5-scatter mode with persistent squares |
Load the Cannons at 100x carries the highest listed RTP, slightly above the base game's. Broadside FeatureSpins is a per-spin cost: it delivers a Cannon, not a win for the Cannon to multiply, so a Broadside spin with no tumbles still pays nothing. At a €1 stake, five Broadside spins cost the same as one Fire at Will buy.
Pirate Bonanza demo vs real money
The game runs on Hacksaw Gaming's servers, and many casinos and details sites host the free version. The rules match; the balance does not.
| Demo | Real money | |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | Virtual credits | Your deposited funds |
| Account | Usually not needed | Casino account and verification |
| Winnings | Cannot be withdrawn | Withdrawable under casino terms |
| RTP version | Whatever the host loads | Set by the casino: 96.31% or 94.26% |
| Best use | Seeing how often the Cannon meets a long tumble chain | Playing with a set budget |
Pirate Bonanza on mobile
Pirate Bonanza runs in mobile browsers on iOS and Android with no download, in the portrait-first layout used across Hacksaw's platform. The highlighted squares and bomb values stay readable on a phone screen.
How to approach a Pirate Bonanza session
At 4/5 volatility with a 26.95% hit rate, the budget decides how long you get to wait for a Cannon.
- Check the RTP version. 96.31% is the better of the two.
- Size the stake for long dry spells. With €100 for a session, €0.20 a spin gives 500 spins; €1 gives 100, which is short for a 4/5 game.
- Price the buys against your balance. A 250x Fire at Will buy at €0.50 is €125. One buy should be a fraction of the session budget, not most of it.
- Remember what Broadside does. A Cannon on every spin multiplies wins; it does not create them.
Every spin is independent and random: no staking plan or timing changes the RTP.
Pros and cons
Pirate Bonanza's strengths come from how clear and punchy the Cannon is.
- Visible stakes - highlighted squares show exactly how many bombs a Cannon would fire.
- Big multipliers - bombs up to x100, plus Golden bombs that multiply the total.
- Top mode buyable - Fire at Will is on the menu at 250x.
- Simple rules - no Wilds, two free spin modes.
The weaknesses are the trade-offs of the same design.
- High volatility - 4/5, with long quiet stretches.
- Small base wins - most clusters pay under 1x without a Cannon.
- Cannon dependency - a long tumble chain with no Cannon pays only the symbols.
Who Pirate Bonanza suits
Pirate Bonanza suits players who enjoy high-volatility multiplier slots and are comfortable waiting for one big moment rather than steady returns. It also suits bonus-buy players, since both free spin modes can be bought. Players who prefer smoother sessions should look at a 3/5 game such as Le Bandit. For the follow-up, see our Pirate Bonanza 2 information.
Pirate Bonanza FAQ
Quick answers to the questions players ask most.
What is the RTP of Pirate Bonanza?
96.31% in the standard version. Casinos can also run 94.26%; the info screen shows which.
What is the Pirate Bonanza max win?
10,000x the stake, or €1,000,000 at the €100 maximum bet.
How does the Cannon work in Pirate Bonanza?
If a Cannon is on the grid after the last tumble, a bomb lands on every winning position. Low, Medium and High bombs add to the multiplier, Golden bombs multiply it, and the total applies to the tumble win.
How do you trigger free spins in Pirate Bonanza?
Four Bonus scatters start Load the Cannons and five start Fire at Will, both with 10 free spins.
Can you buy Fire at Will?
Yes, for 250x the stake, where Bonus Buy is permitted.
Does Pirate Bonanza have a Wild?
No. Wins only form from 8 or more real matching symbols.
Who makes Pirate Bonanza?
Backseat Gaming, a studio that releases its games through Hacksaw Gaming.
Pirate Bonanza comes down to one moment: a long tumble chain and a Cannon on the same spin. Learn how often that happens in the demo, check the RTP version at your casino, and size your stake for the wait.