Real screenshot from our demo test, 1 Nov 2026
Relax GamingReleased 19 May 2020
Hellcatraz Demo & review
A 6x6 cascade game with 46,656 ways where Mystery symbols count down with every cascade and reveal together, in a Lockdown or Mixed mode you choose.
Written by Hampus GravePublished 2 Nov 2026
Play money · no sign-up · no deposit
- RTP
- 96.46%
- Volatility
- High
- Grid
- 6x6
Play Hellcatraz for real at YEET
FluxPlays verdict
Our verdict
For a base-game player, yes, and for a free-spins chaser, no. Every spin lands Mystery symbols that count down with each cascade and reveal into one symbol, so the base game carries the action, and the mode choice sets how sharp it is. The drawback is the bonus: 2,000 keys is a long climb, so for most players Super Free Spins are something to buy.
Who it suits
Play this if…
- Base-game players: Mystery symbols land on every spin, so the action does not wait for a bonus
- Players who like to set the risk: Lockdown and Mixed are a free choice, with their own labels and RTPs
- Learners: the counters show on screen how many cascades a reveal still needs
Skip this if…
- Bonus chasers: 2,000 keys is a long climb, so Super Free Spins are a buy for most players
- Max-win hunters: neither the rules nor Relax state a cap
- You want big line pays: the guard pays 2x for six, and only reveals make a spin large
Where to play Hellcatraz
Hellcatraz is available at these casinos we have tested and reviewed. How we test casinos
YEET
18+ · T&Cs apply
SafeCasino
FluxPlays score 7.5
Skrill withdrawal paid out in 18 hours in our test
400% up to €4,000 + 1,200 free spins
- 40x wagering
- min deposit €10
- 30 days
400% welcome package up to 4,000 over four deposits, each 100% up to 1,000 plus 300 free spins. 40x wagering on bonus and free spin winnings. Minimum 10 to activate, 200 for the full 300 spins. 30 day validity. Free spins run on Pragmatic Play games.
18+ · T&Cs apply · Offer checked 7 Oct 2026
Betlabel
FluxPlays score 7.0
E-wallet payout inside 24 hours in our test
200% up to €1,500 + 150 free spins
- 35x wagering
- min deposit €10
- 7 days
200% welcome package up to 1,500 plus 150 free spins over four deposits: 100% up to 300 + 30 FS, 50% up to 350 + 35 FS, 25% up to 400 + 40 FS, 25% up to 450 + 45 FS. 35x wagering, 7 day window. Minimum 10 first deposit, 15 thereafter. Crypto deposits are not bonus eligible.
18+ · T&Cs apply · Offer checked 7 Oct 2026
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Hellcatraz: Full Review
Every spin of Hellcatraz lands Mystery symbols with a countdown on them, and each cascade brings them one step closer to turning into the same symbol at once. This is Relax Gaming's original from May 2020, not the later Hellcatraz 2 Dream Drop, and before you play it asks you to pick how those counters behave. It suits players who want the base game to do the work, because its free spins sit behind a long key meter.
Hellcatraz game information
- Provider
- Relax Gaming
- Release date
- 19 May 2020
- Grid
- 6 x 6 (reels x rows)
- How it pays
- Ways (46,656), cascades
- RTP
- 96.46% (Lockdown Mode) (casinos may also run 96.30% (Mixed Mode) or 96.83% (feature buy))
- Volatility
- High
- Bet range
- $0.10 to $25
- Bonus buy
- Super Free Spins 200x (or a key top-up priced by the keys still missing)
The mode choice that opens the game: Mixed or Lockdown Mystery symbols. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
How Hellcatraz works
Six reels of six rows give 46,656 ways, and a symbol pays on three or more adjacent reels from the left. Winning symbols cascade away and new ones drop in, so one spin can pay several times. Wilds land on reels 2 to 6 only. The guard tops a short paytable:
| Symbol, pays at $1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | $2.00 | $1.60 | $1.00 | $0.60 |
| Prisoner | $1.20 | $0.80 | $0.60 | $0.40 |
| Shark | $1.00 | $0.70 | $0.50 | $0.30 |
| Badge | $0.80 | $0.60 | $0.40 | $0.20 |
| Handcuffs | $0.60 | $0.40 | $0.30 | $0.20 |
| Four low symbols | $0.40 | $0.30 | $0.20 | $0.10 |
Those pays are per way, which is why a big board of one symbol matters more than any single pay line. The Mystery symbols are how the game builds that board.
The base game in Mixed Mode before our first spin, with Mystery symbols counting down from 2. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
Mystery Reveal: Lockdown or Mixed Mode
Each Mystery symbol shows a counter that drops by one with every cascade. When it reaches zero, every Mystery symbol with that counter turns into the same symbol, and a board full of them can become a block of matching positions in one move. A spin with no cascade leaves them unrevealed.
The mode decides how the counters line up:
| Mode | Counters | Official RTP and volatility |
|---|---|---|
| Lockdown | All Mystery symbols share one counter and reveal together | 96.46%, Super High |
| Mixed | Two independent counters, so the Mystery symbols reveal in two groups | 96.30%, High |
Lockdown is all or nothing: one reveal, one symbol, across every Mystery position. Mixed splits the board into two smaller reveals instead of one. A SWITCH MODE button sits beside the buy.
Our best spin shows the payoff in Mixed Mode. On spin 28 a run of cascades revealed Mystery symbols into prisoners, and the spin paid $96.40.
Base spin 28 settled at 96.40 after its cascades and reveals. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
Key Collector and Super Free Spins
Keys worth 1 to 10 land on top of normal symbols, and a meter under the reels adds them up. At 2,000 keys the game awards Super Free Spins. In that round Mystery symbols reveal at once instead of waiting for cascades, and a Golden Mystery symbol can add more spins. So the free spins remove the one condition the base game depends on.
The meter is the catch: in our session it moved slowly, and in practice the feature is something you buy.
Buy Feature: full price or key top-up
Super Free Spins cost 200x the bet, with a feature-buy RTP of 96.83%, above either mode. The panel also offers a top-up that charges only for the keys you lack. With 48 keys on our meter it priced the round at 195.20, so each key took a tenth of the bet off.
The buy panel with 48 keys collected: 200.00 at full price, 195.20 as a top-up. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
RTP, volatility and max win
Three RTPs apply: Lockdown, Mixed and the buy, as in the table. These are the figures in the build we played. The volatility labels come from the mode screen. Neither the demo's rules nor Relax's product page state a maximum win, so we give none here.
Our Hellcatraz demo test
FluxPlays demo test
1 November 2026, demo running 96.30% (Mixed Mode) RTP
Base game spins
100
at $1 per spin
Staked
$100
Paid back
$169.30
169.3% of stake, +$69.30
Winning spins
29 of 100
29% of spins paid something
Biggest win
$96.40 (96.4x)
Mixed Mode cascade round with Mystery symbols revealing into prisoners; next best 24.80 (spin 71) and 16.20 (spin 8)
Free spins triggered
0
natural triggers in the session
Bonus buys tested
Super Free Spins (200x)
5 free spins, no Golden Mystery extra spins, reveals into low symbols
$200 in
$8.80 back
0.04x its price
8.8x the $1 bet
Tested on Relax Gaming's public fun-mode client (rules version 2.0.6, 26/11/2024) on 1 November 2026, in FUN practice credits read as dollars, from a 5,000 balance. The demo opened at 2.00 and was lowered to 1.00, the bet used for every round. All 100 base spins were played in Mixed Mode; Lockdown Mode was not played. Every round was checked against the game server: 100 base spins and one full-price buy, $300.00 spent and $178.10 back, ending at 4,878.10 on the server and on screen. The 16.20 win on spin 8 comes from the server log and was not captured on screen.
Mixed Mode carried our session through a few cascade spins. Spin 28 did most of it, spin 71 added $24.80 with Mystery symbols across the board, and most other wins were small change.
Base spin 71 settled at 24.80. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
The key meter reached 48 of 2,000 in a hundred spins. The bought Super Free Spins gave 5 spins, no Golden Mystery added any, and the reveals came up low symbols, so the round paid $8.80.
Lockdown Mode, a Golden Mystery and the key top-up went untried. One mode and one bought round show how the reveals feel, not what either mode returns.
Our bought Super Free Spins paid 8.80 over 5 spins. FluxPlays demo test, 1 November 2026.
Is Hellcatraz worth playing?
For a base-game player, yes. For someone who plays for free spins, no. The countdown gives every spin a reason to cascade, and the mode choice lets you set how sharp that is. The free spins are a buy in practice, and the base game is where the idea lives.
Pick Lockdown Mode if you want one reveal that can cover the board, with the higher RTP. Choose Mixed Mode if you want more frequent, smaller reveals, which is how we played it.
In the demo, play twenty spins in each mode before anything else. The difference between one counter and two is the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Lockdown and Mixed Mode in Hellcatraz?+
In Lockdown Mode every Mystery symbol shares one counter, so they all reveal together into one symbol. In Mixed Mode two counters run independently, so the reveals come in two smaller groups. Lockdown carries the higher RTP, 96.46% against 96.30%, and the Super High label. We played Mixed.
Can you buy the bonus in Hellcatraz, and what does it cost?+
Yes. Super Free Spins cost 200x the bet, with a 96.83% RTP for the buy. A second button tops up only the keys you are missing, so the price falls as your key meter fills. With 48 of 2,000 keys, ours read 195.20.
How do you trigger Super Free Spins in Hellcatraz?+
Collect 2,000 keys. Key values of 1 to 10 land on top of normal symbols and fill a meter under the reels. In the free spins, Mystery symbols reveal at once, and a Golden Mystery symbol can add spins. Without the buy it is a long climb.
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