Sand and Ashes Slot Review
Free demo, RTP, volatility and max win
7.7Value score · Good · how it works
Sand and Ashes review: Hacksaw Gaming's 5x5 desert slot with Wild Scarab Multipliers, respins and storms. Medium volatility, four RTP versions.
- #1305by RTP of 3,708 slots
- #1598by value of 3,708 slots
Play Sand and Ashes free: demo, no sign-up
Free play money from Hacksaw Gaming's official demo. 18+. No deposit and no account; a demo does not predict real results.
Basic information
| Software | Hacksaw Gaming |
|---|---|
| Release year | Not published |
| RTP | 96.27% | 94.21% | 92.3% | 86.19% |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Max win | Not published |
| Hit frequency | Not published |
| Reels and rows | 5 × 5 |
| Win system | Paylines, 19 paylines |
| Features | Bonus buy, Free spins, Respins, Ante bet, Paylines |
| Named in the rules | WILD SCARAB MULTIPLIERS AND RESPINS, FIRESTORMS, SANDSTORMS, BONUS GAME - DESERT FURY, BONUS GAME - STORMING SPHINX |
| Game type | Slot |
| Data verified | 2026-09-28 |
Source: Hacksaw Gaming game page; RTP database by toolsgambling.com (CC BY 4.0); image: Hacksaw Gaming promotional image from the official game page. How we collect data · Report a mistake
Sand and Ashes review
Hacksaw Gaming casts a lion-hearted warden of the sands as the hero of this desert slot, with one last mission: defend a treasury from a threat on the horizon. The mechanics are less about story than about one symbol, the Wild Scarab Multiplier. It triggers respins, can be pushed sideways by a Sandstorm and can be boosted by a Firestorm. Two bonus rounds then turn those effects up.
Grid and the Wild Scarab Multiplier
The game is played on a 5x5 grid with 19 paylines, read from left to right on adjacent reels. The Wild Scarab Multiplier is a wild that replaces all paying symbols. When one lands, it carries a multiplier value that applies to every win it takes part in. If a winning line holds more than one, their values are added before being applied.
After the regular wins are paid, any landed Wild Scarab Multipliers trigger a respin. That is where the storms come in.
Firestorms
During a respin there is a chance a Firestorm happens before new symbols land. No symbols fall; instead every Wild Scarab Multiplier gains one extra value from 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x or 100x, added to its existing multiplier. Symbols then land and new wins are paid.
Sandstorms
A Sandstorm can also appear before symbols land in a respin. It nudges every Wild Scarab Multiplier one reel to the left, then new symbols land and the grid settles. The rules say multipliers on the leftmost reel cannot be nudged.
Two bonus rounds
Free spins start when scatters land together in the base game, and the count decides which round you get. Both rounds keep the scarab and storm ideas but handle them in different ways.
Desert Fury
Three scatters give 8 free spins. The base game mechanics stay, with a higher chance of landing Wild Scarab Multipliers. More scatters at once inside the round add spins: two give +2 and three give +4.
Storming Sphinx
Four scatters give 10 free spins. Landing a Wild Scarab Multiplier no longer causes a respin. Instead, Firestorms or Sandstorms can occur on every free spin. The scarabs that land are persistent and remain on the grid until the end of the bonus.
Four RTP versions
The catalogue records 96.27%, 94.21%, 92.3% and 86.19%. The house edge climbs from 3.73% to 13.81%. At the top version, $1,000 wagered costs about $37.30 on average, while the lowest costs about $138.10. A hundred spins at $1 average $3.73 against $13.81, and at $5 it is $18.65 against $69.05.
The gap between versions is wide, and the operator decides which one runs, so look at the game info screen before you play. Volatility is Medium in the catalogue, and no max win is published. Buy options and an ante bet exist, but the rules do not state their prices.
Medium volatility neighbours
Vending Machine lists 96.28% and a 5,000x cap, and Xmas Drop 96.22% and 12,500x. Le Sortudo, Marlin Masters OG, Great Game Serengeti and Minted Mike all sit between 96.25% and 96.31%, each rated Medium.
Pros
- Respins let multipliers build, with Firestorm additions up to 100x
- Storming Sphinx keeps Wild Scarab Multipliers on the grid for the whole round
- Medium volatility
- 19 paylines on a 5x5 grid
Cons
- Four RTP versions, the lowest at 86.19% with a 13.81% house edge
- No max win published in the sources we hold
- No free demo listed in our catalogue
Verdict
Sand and Ashes centres on one symbol and the storms that move and boost it, from base-game respins to the persistent scarabs of Storming Sphinx. Volatility is Medium and the best RTP is 96.27%, but versions fall as low as 86.19%, a 13.81% house edge. Check which version is live before you play, and only stake money you accept paying for entertainment.
Sources: Hacksaw Gaming official game page; RTP, volatility and max win from the open Slot RTP Database.
Slots like Sand and Ashes
Sand and Ashes RTP versions
4 RTP versions of Sand and Ashes are recorded. Casinos choose which one to run, so the number you get depends on where you play. Each bar shows what that version keeps on average per $1,000 wagered.
- 96.27%Highest $37.30 lost per $1,000
- 94.21% $57.90 lost per $1,000
- 92.3% $77 lost per $1,000
- 86.19%Lowest $138.10 lost per $1,000
Cost of 100 spins
| Bet | Wagered | Average cost at 96.27% | At 86.19% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.20 | $20 | $0.75 | $2.76 |
| $1 | $100 | $3.73 | $13.81 |
| $5 | $500 | $18.65 | $69.05 |
Averages computed from the published RTP; real sessions vary widely around them. RTP calculator
Sand and Ashes max win, volatility & stats
- Value score
- 7.7 / 10
- Lost per $1,000 (average)
- $37.30
- Max win at $1 bet
- –
- Wins on average
- –
Percentiles compare this game with the 3,708 games in the catalogue. Max win: not published.
