RIP City by Hacksaw Gaming is dissected for Canadian players: RTP versions, Cat reel multipliers, bonus-buy maths, bankroll tactics and regulatory pointers—all you need before you spin.
First Deposit Bonus
150% + 70 spins
400% Bonus on first 4 deposits + 5% cashback
First Deposit Bonus
110% + 120 spins
Up to C$2,900 + 290 FS on first 4 deposits
First Deposit Bonus
100% + 150 spins
Up to 255% + 250 FS on first 3 deposits
RIP City slot review
Why review RIP City
Hack-saw Gaming’s RIP City has already celebrated its second birthday, yet the title keeps popping up in Canadian lobbies beside this year’s fresh releases. The staying power comes from three angles.
First, the provider itself is on a roll. In a recent traffic report, Hacksaw climbed into the top three most-visited studios worldwide. Every time the developer pushes a new hit like Le Bandit or Cursed Seas, casinos shove the older catalogue back into their hot tabs, and RIP City benefits from the cross-promotion wave.
Second, distribution is close to universal inside our borders. Mr. Bet runs the 96.22% build and even pins the game to its weekend reload email for VIPs. NeedForSpin, although operating offshore, also carries RIP City and sweetens it with tournaments that refund 10% of every bonus buy loss. Ontario-licensed brands on the iGaming Ontario list plug Hacksaw through the Relax platform, so players in Toronto or Sudbury will spot the same thumbnail the moment they open the lobby.
Finally, there is streamer influence. Even if the slot no longer tops Twitch charts, clips of five-figure Cat reels keep circulating on social media. The social buzz drives a steady stream of newcomers who would rather test the game themselves than watch another compilation. That loop of curiosity justifies a fresh, detail-heavy review focused on the Canadian rule set and wallet sizes.
Restrictive payout mechanics
At first glance, the 5-reel, 5-row board looks as roomy as the cluster grids in other popular games. Once the paytable flashes, reality sinks in: only 19 static lines decide every outcome. In practical terms, that layout creates chokepoints along the corners and top edge, so symbols stranded there rarely link with the centre, and cash returns can stall.
A mathematical look helps illustrate why some players call the engine “claustrophobic” compared with more liberal pay systems:
| Game | Grid | Win Mechanic | Hit Rate (theoretical) | First Bonus Avg Spins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP City | 5×5 / 19 lines | Left-to-right lines | 18.22% | 230 – 260 |
| Rise of Olympus | 5×5 / Cluster | Cascade clusters | 23% | 180 – 190 |
| Starburst | 5×3 / 10 lines | Both-ways lines | 22% | 140 – 150 |
Even Starburst, famous for microscopic variance, posts a higher hit rate. Players chasing a smooth pay curve therefore feel boxed in when they shift from one game to another.
The upside of the tight line web is symbol value. Payouts scale higher than in cluster games because the math counts on fewer average hits per spin. When a premium five-of-a-kind lines up, you notice the credit jump right away. That high-value-few-hits profile echoes other games’ massive multipliers but without the avalanche feeling.
Wild Cat multipliers
Hacksaw skipped a progressive pot for RIP City, betting the house on its signature Wild Cat reel. On any spin, a Cat symbol can expand to fill the reel. If at least one regular wild sits on that reel, the Cat “eats” it and stamps the whole reel with a multiplier between ×2 and ×200. The moment two Cats share a payline, the multipliers multiply each other, a feature that pushes theoretical potential up to 12,500 × stake.
Because Canadians love to compare max win ceilings, let’s stack RIP City next to another multiplier classic:
| Parameter | RIP City | Other Game |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive Jackpot | None | None |
| Max Visible Multiplier | ×200 per reel | ×100 |
| Max Win Cap | 12,500 × | 21,175 × |
| Highest Reported Win (2024) | 11,420 × | 14,050 × |
The other game still owns the headline number, but RIP City’s Cats land more often than its multipliers. Regular players may prefer the steadier stream of medium multipliers over the one-in-a-blue-moon chase. That trade-off fills the “no jackpot” void: there is always the sense that another decent Cat stack could turn the session around without needing a miracle.
Bonus modes and volatility
RIP City carries two scatter-triggered features that sound similar yet feel wildly different once the reels start:
Ro$$ Bonus hands out 10 spins with an extra chance for Cats and regular wilds. The reels reset after every spin, so the round mirrors other free games where every new tumble reshuffles potential multipliers.
Maxx Bonus starts the same way, but when a Cat lands, it activates that reel for the rest of the feature, locking in enhanced Cat odds. By spin three or four, the board can reach near-constant Cat coverage, echoing other games where power-ups stack.
Because the Maxx version maintains state across spins, volatility rockets. A dead first half frequently ends in disappointment, while an early double-Cat often catapults the payout past 300×. Ro$$, by contrast, spreads its risk more evenly over the 10 spins.
Stream data placed the two modes on opposite ends of Hacksaw’s internal risk ladder: Ro$$ rated “High”, Maxx “Very High”. That split causes seasoned players to pick the bonus buy according to mood and bankroll. Someone on a moderate balance might choose the 200× Ro$$ fee, while high-rollers crank Maxx at 400× a shot hoping to flip one buy into a five-figure cash-out.
Bonus-buy bias
Scroll through any highlight reel and you will notice a pattern: almost every RIP City big win comes from a purchased feature. The reason is part psychology, part arithmetic.
The arithmetic first. In the base game, the bonus frequency hovers around 0.42% of spins — roughly one natural trigger every 240 spins. Buying a Maxx bonus for 400× is therefore equal to pre-paying for 96,000 spins. Streamers do not have the patience — or the budget — to show three hours of dead air, so they slam the purchase button. That footage conditions the viewer to assume the slot is “bonus only”.
The psychology hits harder. Watching a reel expand to ×200 in real-time is visceral content that racks up likes faster than other game features ever could. Content creators chase viewer spikes, so they ignore safer base play in favour of edge-of-your-seat bonus sequences. The cycle feeds itself: audience expects explosive buys, streamer supplies, perception solidifies.
For everyday Canadians, the label is only half-true. The base game certainly feels slow compared with others, yet any Cat that multiplies across two or three lines can still crank a 100× win without a scatter in sight. Patience is the commodity most viewers never see on camera.
RTP concerns
RTP choice is where the slot deserves genuine scrutiny. Hacksaw sends out four maths to operators, and casinos may select any without telling affiliates or advertisers: 96.22%, 94.27%, 92.32% or 88.02%.
| RTP Variant | Typical Canadian Outlet | Extra House Edge vs 96% |
|---|---|---|
| 96.22% | Ontario-regulated brands | – |
| 94.27% | Offshore operators | +1.95% |
| 92.32% | Crypto sites accepting BTC/ETH only | +3.90% |
| 88.02% | Rare “custom margin” installs | +8.20% |
The AGCO rulebook forces each Ontario site to display the exact percentage in the game info pane, so residents can spot downgrades instantly. Grey-market sites are not obliged. Checking the help page before each deposit protects bankrolls better than any strategy.
If you stumble upon the 88% build, treating RIP City like a low-volatility clone will burn you. Return over time drops below many land-based penny slots, so Canadians concerned with value should simply close the tab and pick another title.
Volatility comparison
Other games carry a street reputation for monster wins, but on paper, their statistics almost clone RIP City’s: identical 12,500× cap, near-matching bonus cost, similar 96.38% top RTP. The nuance is in distribution.
Potential clusters into a single event, when two or more expand simultaneously, payouts snowball in a way RIP City cannot replicate. The flip side is frequency. Multiple expanding reels lining up happens far less often than a pair of Cats. Long stretches of zero-win spins are harsher in some games.
Canadian players aiming for balance between excitement and sustainability will notice the difference after a few hours. Some titles chew through $100 in turbo mode quicker than RIP City, especially when both run at 60 cents per spin. That real-world cash-flow factor makes RIP City the friendlier pick for players who still fancy a shot at a max-win screen without enduring the ultra-brutal dry spells.
Streaming performance
A recent topline chart shows Duel at Dawn, Le Bandit and Rotten topping the Hacksaw streaming minutes. RIP City slides in at position eight — outside the headline trio yet ahead of older cult pieces. The ranking tells a story: the slot retains relevance but no longer monopolizes thumbnails the way it did during its launch quarter.
Two developments explain the shift. Platforms softened their stance on explicit gambling streams, prompting creators to rotate content more aggressively to keep novelty high. Meanwhile, Hacksaw itself pumped out a dozen feature-rich releases that naturally grabbed the limelight.
For casual Canadians, that hierarchy shift is good news. Less streamer demand usually coincides with quieter lobbies, meaning the networks feel less need to downgrade RTP to cover promotional costs. When you see RIP City running at the full 96% on a Monday morning, thank the influencers for chasing the next shiny release.
Bankroll strategies
Hacksaw equips RIP City with three buy buttons:
- Ro$$ Bonus at 200× stake.
- Maxx Bonus at 400× stake.
- Random modes priced at 3×, 10× or 20× stake depending on the guarantee.
Those numbers look intimidating, yet a structured bankroll turns them from minefields into manageable tools. A practical example for a $500 session:
- Allocate 40% ($200) to base play at $1 per spin, producing around 1,000 spins of natural variance buffer.
- Reserve 30% ($150) for three Ro$$ buys.
- Park the final 30% ($150) for contingency. Use it either to chase a Maxx bonus once a decent base-game win pads the pot or to top up base play if the slot is ice-cold.
The three-bucket method works because it slows down the temptation to fire consecutive buys after a dud. Players employ a similar practice, alternating turbo base modes with the occasional buy to keep adrenaline high without draining the balance in minutes.
Player pitfalls
RIP City is entertaining when the Cats behave, yet several snags eat through novice wallets:
Dead-spin sequences stretch longer than in other games because the slot lacks respins and cascades. Thirty blank results in a row are not rare on the 92% build.
An expanding Cat that fails to swallow a regular wild awards no multiplier. The visual fireworks trick beginners into thinking a big hit landed when the credit meter barely moves.
In Maxx Bonus, activating reels in the penultimate spin feels thrilling but rarely covers the 400× ticket. Accept that most profitable bonuses hinge on early reel activation and avoid tilt.
Some offshore sites disable the cheapest option, nudging players towards the pricier modes. Always open the menu before committing cash, if the cheapest toggle is missing, you are looking at a custom client with a higher house edge in disguise.
By recognizing those pitfalls, Canadians can steer their sessions with the same caution they already apply in high-variance slots.
Title comparison
The four benchmarks cover every volatility tier, offering a neat cross-section for comparison. Two quick paragraphs frame the data.
One game stands as a cluster masterpiece — complex modifiers, medium-high variance and a max win just shy of 5,000×. Another is the polar opposite: beginner-friendly, ultra-low risk and capped at a modest 500×. Other games occupy the middle ground, each banking on multiplier-style mechanics though one stretches the ceiling higher. RIP City positions itself between those favourites, carving a lane for players who want more thrill but less punishment.
| Slot | Top RTP | Volatility | Max Win | Core Feature | Bonus Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP City | 96.22% | Mid-High | 12,500 × | Expanding Cat ×200 reels | Yes |
| Other Game | 96.51% | High | 5,000 × | Hand of Gods modifiers | No |
| Another Game | 96.09% | Low | 500 × | Expanding sticky wilds with respin | No |
| Another Game | 96.50% | High | 7,500 × | Progressive grid multipliers | Yes |
| Another Game | 96.51% | Medium | 21,175 × | Scatter pay with multipliers | Yes |
The comparison highlights how RIP City mixes elements from each. It borrows expanding wild reels, random multiplier highs, and comic-book visuals, then wraps them inside a volatility shell. Players who rotate through multiple slots each week may appreciate how familiar mechanics intersect in a fresh configuration.
Youth-appeal compatibility
Ontario’s regulator tightened its guidelines on imagery that might lure minors, but the updated focus is on marketing collateral rather than on-reel content. RIP City’s art draws from 1930s slapstick cartoons, complete with mallet swings and smack-stick noises. The tone mirrors family-friendly content.
The regulator permits stylised violence inside the game as long as casinos:
- Avoid using the characters in external ads viewed by under-25s.
- Refrain from hiring social-media influencers who target teen demographics.
- Do not place the slot icon in free-to-play sections or demo banners likely to appear in search snippets.
Licensed Ontario brands already apply age-gating overlays before any slot demo loads, so RIP City slips through the rulebook unscathed. For Canadian gamblers, this means the title remains fully available in regulated lobbies despite its cartoon punch-ups.
When to play RIP City
RIP City slots neatly into the evening routine of players who deposit between $50 and $500 and hunt for upside without exposing themselves to the brutal swings of other sessions. The slot rewards perseverance, careful RTP checking, and measured bonus buys.
Play it when the displayed return reads at least 94%, the bankroll can handle 200×-400× swings and the entertainment value resonates with you. Park it for another day if the casino offers only the 88% build or if you crave rapid-fire cascades.
Handled with respect, the alley cats of RIP City still know how to dig out headline wins. For Canadians balancing excitement, value, and regulatory peace of mind, the game remains a worthy stop on the slot tour of 2025.
- Cat multipliers stack up to ×200 per reel
- 12,500× max potential keeps adrenaline high
- Three buy buttons cater to every bankroll
- Only 19 paylines restrict hit rate
- Multiple lower RTP builds (94%, 92%, 88%) lurk at some casinos
- High 400× price for top bonus
