Xmas Drop demo is a great opportunity to get acquainted with the game, feel the slot’s volatility at your fingertips, and practice before gambling for real money. The slot, which debuted at the end of 2023, remains popular thanks to its unique mechanics, pleasant Christmas atmosphere, and charming Santa, who brings players not gifts, but real money. Get to know the game in the demo version and our detailed review below.
Xmas Drop Free Play | Demo 2025
Xmas Drop Casino: The best choice for real money playing
Hacksaw: Xmas Drop | Slot Technical Specifications
This is a compact summary of all the internal aspects of the game from a technical standpoint: RTP, Max Win, and other important details. After covering the basics, we will move on to a review and game strategies.
| Name | Xmas Drop |
|---|---|
| Developer | Hacksaw Gaming LTD. |
| RTP | 96.22% |
| Alternative RTP | 94.27% | 92.32% | 88.02% |
| Max Win | x12,500 |
| Highest Max Win (USD) | $25,000,000 |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Min/Max Bet | $0.10 / $2000 (most casinos limit to $100) |
| Max Wild Multiplier | x200 |
| Bonus Buy | Two modes, costing 110x and 200x |
| Hit Frequency | 18% |
| Paylines | 19 |
| Reels/Rows | 5×5 |
| Theme | Christmas |
| Release Date | November 30, 2023 |
The RTP varies depending on the selected game mode, details of which are provided below.
Xmas Drop | Hacksaw Gaming 🌲 Slot Review and Additional Features
Hacksaw Gaming has generally stayed away from Christmas themes. Their slots are usually more mystical, often based on myths, legends, the afterlife, or even cowboys. Xmas Drop is one of the rare cheerful, atmospheric games similar to the earlier Pug Life. The mascot and main character? Santa Claus, who rushes to collect gifts… with his mouth.
Yes, that’s not a mistake. Let’s take a look at the game grid: here we have classic card symbols from 10 to A, along with high-paying symbols:
- 🎁 Christmas Stocking
- 🍭 Candy Cane
- 🎄 Christmas Tree
- 🧸 Teddy Bear
- 🔔 Christmas Bell
If three identical symbols align in a row, the player receives a payout. In total, Xmas Drop has 19 paylines, which is typical for Hacksaw slots.
There are also two gameplay elements that are particularly interesting for us gamblers. These are the game’s hero, Santa, and his gifts. The first is an interactive element called the WILD SANTA SYMBOL. It’s Santa’s head, which expands to cover the entire reel, replacing any symbols on the grid. Only one Santa can appear per reel.
Now we smoothly transition to the gifts! The bright red box is a classic WILD symbol. But if Santa lands on the reel above it, he literally “eats” the gift and gains a multiplier—ranging from x2 to a maximum of x200. Santa’s dropped jaw then replaces any symbol and also acts as a WILD.
In general, these are all the mechanics embedded in the Xmas Drop spins. Let’s move on to the additional features.
Bonus Features
The game offers a total of 5 bonus features: 3 features for single spins and 2 types of bonus games costing 110x and 200x.
Please note that all features have different volatility levels. Be sure to test them in the demo version before playing for real money to fully understand how they work.
Bonushunt FeatureSpins
The first of the additional features increases the chance of triggering the bonus game by 5 times. When activated, each spin will cost 3 times more, and the chances of landing scatter symbols (which look like glass balls with the letters FS inside) will increase by 5 times. If you’re familiar with other Hacksaw games, you know that landing a bonus game through regular spins is extremely difficult. This feature helps trigger the bonus much faster.
Two Wild & Three Wild Santas FeatureSpins
When activating the next two features, the player is guaranteed to get Wild Santas on at least 2 or 3 reels in each spin. It’s important to understand the context: “at least 2 Santas” and “at least 3 Santas” mean that more than this number can also appear.
When using this feature, the cost of a spin increases by 20 or 50 times, and the slot’s volatility rises sharply.
Night Before Christmas Bonus Game
Finally, we’ve reached the bonus games! The first one costs 110x if purchased. To trigger it naturally, you need to land 3 scatters on the grid. The player receives 10 free spins, during which the chances of landing Wild Santa and Wild Gift symbols are significantly increased. Typically, they appear in almost every spin, and the goal is to catch them in the most advantageous positions. In this bonus game, there’s a small chance to hit the maximum win — but more on that later.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town Bonus Game
The last and most expensive bonus game costs 200x if purchased. You can trigger it naturally if 4 or more scatters land during a spin. The mechanics of this mode are much more attractive. Here’s how it works: if Santa lands on one of the reels, he will continue to appear on that same reel in every subsequent spin, but in random positions.
If Wild Santas land at the very beginning of the bonus game, don’t hesitate — your big win is already very close. The last thing we haven’t mentioned yet is the retrigger mechanics, meaning additional spins beyond the initial 10 given. To increase the number of free spins, you need to catch 3 or more FS symbols in a single spin. Retriggers occur quite frequently; every 5th bonus game usually lasts 13–16 spins instead of the base 10.
Xmas Drop: 3 Practical Tips from Experts
We’ve done over 10,000 real money spins in Xmas Drop and purchased more than 100 bonus games, so we have the right to share our insights on how to grow your balance most effectively in this game. Here are some tips we highly recommend following:
- Don’t try to trigger the bonus game without the BonusHunt feature. Every fan of Hacksaw slots knows that without this feature enabled, the bonus game rarely drops. Due to the slot’s medium volatility, such spins are nearly unprofitable.
- Spins with guaranteed Santa Wilds are high-risk. This feature may seem attractive to new players, but keep in mind that guaranteed Santa Wilds can land on reels 1-2 or 4-5. In the first case, the spin will be great; in the second, it might not pay at all. Another thing — Santa Wilds often land on the bottom row without expanding. This is how the game “punishes” careless players, so be cautious.
- If you haven’t triggered the bonus game within the first 30-50 spins using the BonusHunt feature, chances are the game isn’t in your favor today. Based on personal experience and that of many streamers: if a Hacksaw slot doesn’t give a bonus game early, it’s unlikely you’ll get one in that session. There are two ways out: either switch to a different casino or buy the bonus game instead of chasing it through spins.
Do the math: 50 spins with the BonusHunt feature at a $1 bet will cost you $150. For that money, you could buy a bonus game — and sometimes that’s the more profitable choice.
Xmas Drop: Max Wins and Interesting Facts About Them
“Santa, I’ve been good this year!” — the most popular phrase among streamers during the bonus game. The script for hitting a max win is quite obvious: you don’t even need a Wild Santa on every reel. A player scores the max win when a gift with a x100 or x200 multiplier drops under one of the Santas.
Typically, when such a multiplier appears, there are 2–3 more Santas on the reels, which expand and trigger a max win in a single spin. Watch how it happens:
Here is the most popular Xmas Drop max win on YouTube. We can’t vouch for its authenticity, as the game menu is hidden in the video. It’s quite possible that such a win was achieved in the Xmas Drop Demo version of the slot. However, this example clearly shows what combinations appear before hitting the coveted max win.
Now let’s take a look at a real case from a player in Sweden, Bonus Game — Night Before Christmas. Total Win — 12,500 KR (around $6,500). An absolutely impressive result!
Based on the reviewed material, we can draw some conclusions and patterns that will be useful for gambling enthusiasts:
- Most max wins captured on video occur in the “SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN” bonus game. However, as shown above, max wins can also happen in the more affordable bonus game “NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.”
- In all replays, the maximum amount is achieved in a single spin.
- In most videos showcasing significant wins in Xmas Drop, there are 1–2 retriggers before the main spins begin. If the same happens during your session, it’s a good sign.
“Where do these conclusions come from?” you may ask. Our answer — we’ve watched hundreds of videos and personally completed over 5,000 spins and purchased more than 100 bonus rounds to back up these findings with real data.
In this video, you’ll find confirmation of each of the facts mentioned about the game: retriggers right at the start, sudden massive wins, and all the unique features that set Hacksaw Gaming apart from competitors.
Finally, let’s go over some real statistics and interesting facts: on December 15, 2024, a player at Stake Casino made a spin in Xmas Drop, betting not dollars, but bitcoins. The user (nickname hidden in the Stake interface) landed several Santa Wilds and gifts, which resulted in a modest 242x win. However, when converted to money, the winnings amounted to 10 BTC = 1 million dollars 👀
You can explore other impressive results on the website.
Xmas Drop on iOS and Android
In 2025, most online casino traffic comes from mobile devices. Gamblers find it much more convenient to play anywhere directly from their smartphones, whether through an app or the web version of the casino site. Slot providers are adapting to this trend in recent years. For example, the developer of Xmas Drop, Hacksaw Gaming, created their own game development platform called OPEN RGS.
OPEN RGS is a framework that allows the creation of high-quality games fully optimized for any mobile device from the last 15 years, whether it’s an iPhone or an Android smartphone. The provider’s advantage lies in its complete independence from the online casino where the slot is hosted. Even if the casino site is hastily built or has technical issues, once you launch our favorite game, everything changes—it works smoothly and flawlessly.
So, no need for extra words: Xmas Drop works perfectly on any mobile device. We especially recommend trying the slot on an iPad or other tablets—on medium-sized screens, it looks incredible and truly captures the magical holiday spirit.
Xmas Drop VS Similar Games
Since the slot has its own unique mechanics, there are virtually no analogs in the gambling industry of 2025, except perhaps for other projects from Hacksaw Gaming. Initially, the mechanic of expanding the WILD symbol from the spot where it lands was approved by tens of thousands of players in RIP CITY—the company’s legendary title where a cat and mouse face off against each other.
The second similar game is Duel at Dawn, released in the second half of 2024. While it’s not the same as Xmas Drop, the appearance and expansion of wild symbols are also present, though within a more complex mechanic. All three games have a roughly similar Hit Frequency (the percentage of spins that result in wins), so we can confidently add them to a table and compare them technically.
| Name | Xmas Drop | Duel at Dawn | RIP City |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTP | 96.22% | 96.30% | 96.22% |
| RTP in Bonus Games | 94.27% / 92.32% / 88.02% | 94.27% / 92.28% / 88.37% | 94.27% / 92.32% / 88.02% |
| Max Win | x12,500 | x15,000 | x12,500 |
| Highest Max Win (USD) | $1,250,000 | $1,500,000 | $1,250,000 |
| Bonus Buy Cost | 110x, 200x | 100x, 200x | 110x, 200x |
| Volatility | Medium | Above Average | Medium |
| Theme | Christmas, Gifts | Cowboys, Duels | Night City, Cartoons |
| Average Max Wins per Month (Stake Casino Reports) | 7 | 3 | 4 |
At first glance, it may seem that Duel at Dawn is the favorite in this table. However, there are several important points to consider:
- Duel at Dawn has a completely different mechanic—more complex and riskier than in Xmas Drop.
- The slot’s volatility is higher, meaning players lose more frequently compared to RIP City or Xmas Drop.
In conclusion, while the max win is indeed higher in Duel at Dawn, the risk of losing is significantly greater. The choice is yours—analyze the numbers!
Verdict
Xmas Drop is an excellent slot in every aspect:
- Medium volatility ensures longer gaming sessions and higher chances of winning.
- A Max Win of 12,500x and an RTP above 96% allow you to turn a small bet into a real jackpot. Most modern slots offer a max win of 5,000x, making Hacksaw significantly ahead of its competitors.
- The game is simple and intuitive, meaning you don’t need to be an experienced gambler to enjoy it or understand how it works.
- It features stunning visuals, excellent mobile optimization, smooth animations, and enchanting Christmas-themed sound effects.
- Xmas Drop offers a wide range of bonus features to diversify the gameplay and test your luck.
If you haven’t tried playing at Xmas Drop Casino yet, find our recommended casino above and enjoy the free demo version right on this site. All that’s left is to say to Santa—“I’ve been good this year!”—and test your luck!
FAQ
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Additionally, these insights are based on personal experience and over 10,000+ spins in Xmas Drop.