Skate or Die Slot (Nolimit City)

The Skate or Die slot has 5 reels, 3 rows and 243 ways to win. Winning combinations comprise of 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols appearing from left to right on successive reels, beginning from the leftmost reel and in any position on the reel. Just the highest win per way to win will be paid.

Playable from as little as 20p per spin, the max bet can reach £100 but will be limited in the UK to £10 or even £5 a spin. To change your bet amount, use the Coins icon to see all available options. Outside the UK, there is Autoplay and Turbo Mode.

Returns-wise, the Skate or Die RTP rate is 96.03% which is slightly above the 96% slots average. 72.07% of that return is for the base game with 23.96% reserved for the bonus features. Nolimit City has also produced alternative RTP versions: 94.01% and 92.03%. Check which RTP you’re playing with by opening the Paytable. In case you’re wondering, the Skate or Die demo above has the highest RTP.

The game is considered extreme when it comes to volatility (10/10). With a 27.75% hit frequency rate, winning combinations will land every 3.6 spins on average. As far as triggering the free spins, this will happen every 262 spins.

When it comes to win potential, the Skate or Die slot game benefits from 30,000 times bet max wins. Achievable in several ways, the max win probability is 1 in 11.8 million spins (11,820,331 to be precise) for the 96.03% RTP version. It will take approximately 719 spins to win 100 times your total bet or higher though.  

Chris Taylor

The king of slots

Chris Taylor is an industry veteran originally from Gibraltar. Having worked in the online gambling industry since 2004, Chris loves slots and has reviewed over 10,000 online slot games. Running a slots-focused website for 13 years, Chris is the go-to guy for everything slots-related.

With a skateboarding theme, the Skate or Die slot game sees you join Chad (aka Plantface) on a quest to make it to the pro leagues. However, to do so, you may need to break some bones along the way.

The catchphrase ‘Skate or Die’ dates back to the 1950s after it was used in an article about ice skating. In 1986, Atari released the world’s first skateboarding game, 720º, where the phrase ‘Skate or Die’ would appear. Electronic Arts then released a Skate or Die game in 1987. The slang phrase is used by hardcore skaters and means that you may as well be dead if you’re not skating. You may have heard the term ‘ride or die’ which is similar but for bikers.

Set in California, the setting is a skate ramp which is in a graffiti-covered warehouse. If there was no skate ramp, you’d expect to find homeless people, needles and all sorts. The thing I noticed is the rock soundtrack which is very Blink 182 or Green Day. Graphically, it has a graffiti/90s feel to it.

On the reels, you’ll see graffiti-style A, K, Q, J and 10 royals. Interestingly, the higher-value symbols are represented by Chad’s foot, hand, elbow and face. The Chad face symbol is the best paying awarding 4 times your total bet for 5 in combination.

Skate or Die also has other special symbols. They include the xZone Wild symbol which substitutes for all paying symbols above. You’ll also encounter Smiley Face Scatters, xNudge Wilds and xNudge Wild Supreme symbols. More details on their functions can be found in the Bonus Features section. Firstly, there is a list of symbol payouts:

• 10: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.3, 0.4 or 0.6 x bet
• J: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.3, 0.45 or 0.65 x bet
• Q: 3, 4, or 5 =  0.3, 0.5 or 0.7 x bet
• K: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.3, 0.6 or 0.8 x bet
• A: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.3, 0.65 or 0.9 x bet
• Chad Foot: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.5, 0.75 or 1.5 x bet
• Chat Hand: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.6, 1 or 2 x bet
• Chad Elbow: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.7, 1.5 or 3 x bet
• Chad Face: 3, 4 or 5 = 1, 2 or 4 x bet

Skate or Die Mobile

Like with all slot games, Skate or Die can be played on laptops, PCs, mobiles and tablets. Using HTML5 technology, the game adapts to whatever device you opt for. If you play on an iOS or Android smartphone, there is a Portrait Mode which occupies more of the screen for a better visual experience.

The Skate or Die slot has 11 bonus features. With an Extra Sauce Row containing multipliers, xZone and xNudge Wilds will see multipliers above it applied to adjacent symbols or the increasing xNudge Wild. With 3 free spins features, there’s an xNudge Wild Supreme whichl collects all Extra Sauce Row multipliers. The Crasher Game sees you win up to 30,000 x bet if you land in a dumpster or lose it all if you land in grave.

Extra Sauce Row

Above the reels, you will see an Extra Sauce row. Containing 5 positions, they will display a 2x, 3x, 4x or 10x multiplier or no multiplier. Changing on every spin, multipliers connect with xNudge and/or xZone symbols in the corresponding reels beneath. This applies in both the base game and bonus features.

xZone Wild

When an xZone Wild symbol lands with an active multiplier in the Extra Sauce Row above it, the multiplier is applied to every symbol next to the xZone Wild (vertically, horizontally and diagonally).

The xZone multiplier will affect xNudge Wild and xNudge Wild Supreme symbols when nudging. Finally, when xZone multipliers overlap, the multiplier values are added together.

Overlapping multipliers are summed together. The xZone multiplier affects the xNudge Wild and xNudge Wild Supreme when they nudge. The xZone mechanic was used in the Gluttony slot (released in June 2023).

xNudge Wild

On any reel, the xNudge Wild can land (in the form of a skateboard). When it lands, it will nudge to become fully visible. Each nudge increases the win multiplier by 1. If you’re lucky to land multiple xNudge Wild symbols, their multipliers will be added the total xNudge multiplier.

xNudge Wild multipliers are not affected by xZone multipliers spreading to the reel the xNudge Wild has appeared on. However, xNudge symbols will collect any multipliers that it nudges across. The xNudge Wild multiplier will increase by the corresponding multiplier above its reel on the Extra Sauce Row.

Free Spins features

The Skate or Die slot comes with 3 free spins features. You need to land 3, 4 or 5 Smiley Face Scatter symbols to trigger the responsive feature. Each offers 10 free spins, here is what they entail:

• Face Plant Spins: On every free spin, an xZone Wild is guaranteed
• Dead Meat Spins: With each free spin, 2 xZone Wilds are guaranteed
• Boneyard Spins: You’ll get 2 guaranteed xZone Wilds on each free spin as well as the xNudge Wild Supreme symbol

xNudge Wild Supreme

The xNudge Wild Supreme symbol only appears in the Boneyard Spins feature. Basically, each xNudge Wild Supreme adds up all the available multipliers from the Extra Sauce Row to its respective multiplier. Like the xNudge Wild, it will collect any multipliers that it nudges across that have been affected by xZone multipliers.

Crasher Game

There is a special Crasher Game symbol which can only land during base game spins. If it covers the entire reel area, you will enter the Crasher Game feature. You’ll also win 30 times your total bet and the option to gamble the win in the Crasher Game itself. If you choose not to play, you’ll keep the 30 x bet payout.

If you decide to play, you have to click the ‘STOP’ button before Chad hits the ground to win between 30 and 30,000 times your total bet. If he lands in a grave, you’ll lose everything. However, if the skateboarder lands in a dumpster, you’ll win 30,000 times your total bet.

Nolimit Booster

To enhance your chances of winning, there are 2 Nolimit Booster options. With the RTP rate increasing to 96.04%, here is what they entail:

• xBet: Costing 10% more per spin, you are guaranteed a Smiley Face Scatter on reel 2. Triggering any free spins game will occur every 86 spins on average. 
• xNudge: Costing 10 times more per spin, you are guaranteed an xNudge Wild symbol on the reels. 

Nolimit Bonus

Finally, there is a Nolimit Bonus feature for players located outside the UK. You can choose from 5 options costing from 30 to 1,000 times your total bet. The RTP rate also changes (below are for the highest RTP setting).

With the Lucky Draw option, you have a 50% chance of playing the Face Plant Spins with a 40% and 10% chance of playing the Dead Meat Spins and Boneyard Spins respectively.

The Skate or Die slot is typical of Nolimit City. Inspired by a love of skateboarding, it takes you back to the 90s to a gnarly time when teenagers spent their time landing tricks, listening to cool tunes and hanging around with their pals. The soundtrack has an American Pie feel to it which I love and hints of Bill & Ted movies with Chad’s comments. In the free spins features, the music gets heavier and heavier.

When it comes to the gameplay, it’s all about xNudge and xZone Wilds landing on the reels. xZone Wilds see the multiplier above it in the Extra Sauce Row apply to adjacent symbols whilst xNudge Wilds nudge to fill the reel and increase the win multiplier. If there is a multiplier in the Extra Sauce Row above, that multiplier will be added.

The 3 free spins guarantee xZone Wilds on each free spin. However, there is an xNudge Wild Supreme symbol in the Boneyard Spins which collects multipliers from all Extra Sauce Row positions.

Skate or Die is the first Nolimit City slot game to have a Crasher Game. This optional feature sees you gamble to win up to 30,000 times your total bet. An all-or-nothing feature, will you dare see if Chad will fall into a dumper (to win) or a grave (to lose)? You can of course stop before that and pocket the win. I’m not one for risking big amounts but I can see how exciting the feature is. Expect the Crasher Game to feature in many future Nolimit City slots!

With 30,000 times bet max wins to be won, the most likely route is the Crasher Game if you hold your nerve. Here is the max win probability information for each of the free spins features:

• Face Plant Spins: 1 in 75,873 spins
• Dead Meat Spins: 1 in 9,470 spins
• Boneyard Spins: 1 in 1,040 spins

On the whole, the Skate or Die slot takes you back to a simpler time when you could skate all day in the hope of landing big air and awesome tricks. Chad’s resilience and single-focus is admirable despite the obvious injuries and setbacks.  

I like how xNudge Wilds and xZone Wilds combine with the Extra Sauce Row to deliver big wins in the base and 3 free spins games. The key is to get the xNudge Wild Supreme as this hoovers up all multipliers on the Extra Sauce Row. The debut of the Crasher Game is a welcome one and will see if you have to bottle to totally shred.

Love to ride? Play ‘n GO released the Nyjah Huston: Skate for Gold slot in July 2020 is the official game for the World Champion skateboarder. If you want xNudge Wilds, you can find them in Kenneth Must Die, Stockholm Syndrome and Disturbed.

The Skate or Die slot review was written by Chris Taylor from our OLBG Expert team who has written over 10,000 slot game reviews in an iGaming career spanning over 2 decades. It was then verified/checked by Jenny Mason, our prime Slot reviewer who has 17+ years working in online gambling, top UK brands. 

Jenny Mason

Slots content manager

Jenny Mason has more than 17 years of experience in the online gambling industry and has worked for some of the UK’s top betting brands. She started at OLBG in 2014 and her role involves creating great content and looking after the marketing activity. Jenny is knowledgeable in all areas of online sports betting and has an interest in slots and bingo.