3 Cursed Chests: Hold & Win Slot Review
Hacksaw Gaming have built a reputation for slots that feel structurally clear rather than chaotic, and 3 Cursed Chests: Hold & Win is a natural extension of that philosophy. Releasing in May 2026, it sits alongside titles like Magic Piggy in the studio’s catalogue of structured Hold & Win releases, offering a measured alternative to the studio’s more volatile output such as Wanted Dead or a Wild and Le Bandit. The pirate theme is familiar territory, but the three-chest mechanic gives this one a genuine point of difference. With a 96.30% RTP, medium volatility, and a 2,500x maximum win, it’s aimed squarely at players who value consistency and variety over big-swing potential.
Base Game & Features
The game runs on a standard 5×3 grid with 17 winning paylines. The visual presentation is clean and polished, with a pirate theme built around a character called Anne Bonny and a colour-coded chest system that makes the core mechanic immediately legible. The three distinct chest colours – Green, Red, and Blue – each sit above the reels, acting as visible targets throughout every spin. It’s not overly complex, but it feels well put together, with the coloured chests standing out clearly and providing a visual anchor for the game’s central mechanic.
The audio reinforces the setting effectively. A pirate-themed soundtrack with ocean and ship-style sound effects creates a light but immersive atmosphere, and when chests activate or features trigger, the audio sharpens noticeably to highlight those moments without becoming overwhelming.
The 3 Cursed Chests Mechanic
The central mechanic is straightforward in concept but layered in execution. Three coloured Pot symbols land on the reels during normal play – Green, Red, and Blue. When a Pot lands, it charges the corresponding Chest above the grid. At the end of the spin, after all wins have been handled, each charged Chest has a chance to activate. Activation isn’t guaranteed even when a Chest is charged, which maintains an element of variance while the visible charging progress gives the base game a sense of forward momentum that keeps sessions feeling active.
The 47.29% hit frequency means the base game stays busy. Dry spins are noticeably less common than in comparable Hacksaw titles with higher variance profiles, and the chest-charging animation adds an extra layer of engagement to spins that might otherwise feel routine.
Wild Symbols & Multipliers
Standard Wilds and Wild Multipliers feature in the game. When multiple Wild Multipliers appear in the same winning combination, their values are added together before being applied to the win. This mechanic is most relevant during the Green Chest respin sequence, where it creates the potential for compounding value across a short but concentrated feature window.
3 Cursed Chests Bonus Features
Each of the three Chests leads to a distinct feature path. Rather than funnelling all action into a single bonus mode, the game separates its features by colour, giving each session a different character depending on which Chests activate. There are no retriggering mechanics within individual features, but the Blue Chest path leads to free spins modes that sustain play for 7-15 spins with enhanced chest activation mechanics.
Green Chest: Cursed Wilds Respin
Activating the Green Chest triggers the Cursed Wilds Respin. During this sequence, any combination of regular paying symbols, Wild, or Wild Multipliers can land. The Wild Multiplier addition mechanic applies here, meaning multiple wilds in a single combination stack their values before multiplying the win. The feature is less predictable than the Hold & Win path – wins range widely – but it delivers the most volatile moments the base game offers. A 344x win was recorded during testing through this route, though outcomes vary considerably depending on Wild placement.
Red Chest: Cursed Coins Hold & Win
The Red Chest triggers the Cursed Coins Bonus, a classic Hold & Win sequence. Three lives are awarded at the start, equating to three free spins. Dead symbols and Coin symbols can land during the sequence. Coins stick to the grid until the end of the feature and pay as multiples of the bet. Each new Coin landing resets the lives back to three, creating the characteristic build-up tension the format is known for. Lives reset frequently enough that the feature doesn’t feel punishing, and the steady accumulation of Coin values produces consistent mid-range payouts. The Cursed Coins path is the most reliable of the three chest routes in terms of floor-to-ceiling range.
Blue Chest: Cursed FS Respin & Free Spins
The Blue Chest triggers the Cursed FS Respin, a dedicated respin where only Dead symbols and FS symbols land. The outcome of this respin determines which free spins mode is awarded:
- Treasure Cove Bonus – Triggered by landing 7 FS symbols. Awards 7-15 free spins where landing a Pot symbol guarantees activation of the matching Chest. When the 3rd Pot of the same colour lands, that Chest is guaranteed to activate, creating a structured progression towards chest triggers.
- Ghostly Gallows Bonus – Triggered by landing 6 FS symbols and 1 FS Upgrade symbol. Also awards 7-15 free spins, but with a more active mechanic: landing any single Pot symbol immediately activates its corresponding Chest on that spin. This makes chest triggers considerably more frequent and the feature noticeably more dynamic.
Treasure Cove offers a controlled progression that gives a clearer sense of building towards a trigger. Ghostly Gallows is the more active of the two, with Pot symbols delivering immediate chest activations rather than requiring three of the same colour to accumulate. Both modes maintain the chest interaction that defines the game’s character throughout the free spins.
Feature Buy Options
Four FeatureSpin options are available for players who want to skip the base game:
- Cursed FS FeatureSpins – 3x bet. Each spin has a higher chance of landing a Blue Pot and is 5x more likely to trigger the Cursed FS Respin.
- 3 Cursed Chests FeatureSpins – 40x bet. Each spin guarantees all 3 Pot symbols land and that 1 Chest triggers.
- Treasure Cove – 90x bet. At least 10 free spins, with guaranteed Chest activation when the 3rd matching Pot lands.
- Ghostly Gallows – 200x bet. At least 10 free spins where landing any Pot symbol guarantees immediate activation of its matching Chest.
The range from 3x to 200x covers a wide spectrum. The entry-level Cursed FS option is low-cost but indirect; the Ghostly Gallows buy is expensive and delivers the most active feature experience the game offers.
Our Honest Verdict
Hacksaw have been increasingly willing to play both sides of the market – releasing high-octane titles while also developing more accessible, structured fare. 3 Cursed Chests: Hold & Win sits firmly in the latter camp, and it’s the better for knowing exactly what it wants to be. Rather than overloading the game with interconnected systems, Hacksaw have separated three feature paths cleanly, each with its own character and risk profile. It’s closer to Magic Piggy than to Wanted Dead or a Wild, and that comparison sets expectations accurately.
The 96.30% RTP is competitive for a medium-volatility release, and the 47.29% hit frequency keeps the base game from feeling inert. The visual charging of the chests as Pots land is a smart design choice – it gives players something to track, adding a sense of progression that purely random triggers can’t replicate. Players who experienced the game reported that it rarely felt completely random, and that the visible chest-filling created a measurably better sense of control compared to more chaotic slots.
There are clear limitations. The 2,500x maximum win is modest by modern standards, and for players accustomed to Hacksaw’s upper end – titles where five-figure multipliers are theoretically on the table – this one will feel constrained. The gameplay is more consistent than explosive, which suits its target audience but won’t convert high-volatility chasers. The base game’s feature activations don’t always follow a charged Chest, which means some spins can feel like a near-miss loop without delivery.
The game performs cleanly across both desktop and mobile, with the chest mechanic translating well to smaller screens. The platform optimisation is solid without being noteworthy. For Hold & Win fans or players who prefer variety within a single session – rotating between the Green Chest’s wilds-and-multipliers energy, the Red Chest’s steady Coin accumulation, and the Blue Chest’s free spins progression – 3 Cursed Chests delivers genuine depth within a carefully managed risk envelope. It won’t satisfy everyone, but it will more than suffice for the audience it’s built for.
Three distinct routes, one coherent experience – Hacksaw have made structured accessibility feel like a design virtue rather than a compromise.
3 Cursed Chests: Hold & Win FAQs
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What is the RTP of 3 Cursed Chests?
The standard RTP is 96.3%, which is around the industry average for medium-volatility slots. -
What is the maximum win in 3 Cursed Chests?
The maximum win is 2,500x your total bet. -
What volatility level is 3 Cursed Chests?
3 Cursed Chests is classified as medium volatility, striking a balance between offering frequent, smaller wins and occasional bigger payouts. -
What is the betting range for 3 Cursed Chests?
The bet ranges from a minimum of EUR 0.05 to a maximum of EUR 400 per spin. -
How do you trigger the Green, Red, or Blue Chest?
Landing matching Pot symbols (Green, Red, or Blue) charges the corresponding Chest. At the end of the spin, the charged Chest has a chance to activate. Green Chest triggers Cursed Wilds Respin, Red Chest triggers Cursed Coins Bonus, and Blue Chest triggers Cursed FS Respin. -
What is the difference between Treasure Cove and Ghostly Gallows bonuses?
Treasure Cove awards 7-15 free spins where you must collect 3 Pot symbols of the same colour to guarantee that Chest activates. Ghostly Gallows also awards 7-15 free spins but activates the matching Chest immediately when any single Pot symbol lands, making it more frequent and dynamic. -
Can you buy bonus features in 3 Cursed Chests?
Yes, Feature Buy options let you purchase access to the three Cursed Chest bonuses directly. Options include Cursed FS FeatureSpins (3x bet), 3 Cursed Chests FeatureSpins (40x bet), Treasure Cove (90x bet), and Ghostly Gallows (200x bet). -
Can Wild Multipliers combine in 3 Cursed Chests?
Yes. When multiple Wild Multipliers appear in the same winning combination, their values are added together before multiplying the win.
