Hex: rules, features and verified RTP settings

Short answer

Evidence-led verdict

Hex is a Relax Gaming first-party title identified in the checked demo as hex. The live help we inspected is dated 18 November 2024 and marked version 1.0.8; the official release record dates the game to 23 March 2022. The rules describe five reels and three rows with 243 ways, expanding to four rows and 1,024 ways in Free Spins. Those identifiers matter because lower-return builds and market-specific clients can share the same artwork.

The checked help states a theoretical RTP of 96.43%, equivalent to a 3.57% theoretical house edge. That is the figure for the client opened during this review, not proof that every operator deploys the same build. Relax's product record lists alternative game IDs, so the percentage inside the exact live client remains the controlling value.

The v1.0.8 help ends the round when wins reach or exceed 25,000x and awards exactly 25,000x the round bet. The checked help does not state minimum or maximum stake values. Supplier-card euro figures are therefore excluded from this rules record. The risk profile is high, as labelled in the official release record; return and prize information do not predict whether a feature or large award will occur in a session.

This page confirms studio authorship, current help text and public release status. It does not claim that a New Zealand operator offers the title, that a demo is a local real-money product, or that a displayed euro-denominated reference range will appear as NZD. Those questions require a separate operator and live-client check.

One first-party Relax title

Exact build, release status and evidence boundary

Relax Gaming released Hex on 23 March 2022 and still includes it in its Own Games catalogue. The client checked for this article uses game identifier hex; its help is dated 18 November 2024 and labelled version 1.0.8.

The current help is the controlling source for layout, features, RTP and the cap. The launch announcement is used only for the release date and the provider's high-volatility description, preventing an older marketing page from overriding later rules.

This canonical page covers the standard game, its Free Spins and the optional purchase in one place. It does not split “Hex RTP”, “Hex demo” or “Hex bonus” into competing pages, and it does not borrow rules from similarly named games.

The product page and first-party demo establish publisher identity and a working global reference client. They do not establish that an operator accepts New Zealand players or has enabled identical stakes, purchases and account terms.

The grid grows inside the bonus

243 base ways become 1,024 Free Spins ways

The base game displays five reels and three rows. Matching paying symbols form wins from the leftmost reel across adjacent reels, producing 243 possible ways when the full base grid is evaluated.

Free Spins adds a fourth row. Five reels with four active positions create 1,024 ways, so the feature changes the number of available symbol paths rather than merely repeating the base layout.

Several copies of the same symbol on a qualifying reel can produce several winning ways. Paytable values, consecutive-reel coverage and the number of matching positions all contribute to the settlement.

Neither 243 nor 1,024 is a win probability. The figures describe combinations available on the displayed grid; they do not reveal feature frequency, session return or when a Sorceress will land.

A state used by conversion features

Marked positions are not immediate prizes

Ordinary paying symbols can appear in marked or unmarked form. A mark identifies a position that a Sorceress may later convert, but the mark alone has no separate cash value.

In the base game, marked symbols matter only when the relevant converting symbol lands and the feature conditions are met. A visible group of marks is therefore potential structure, not evidence that a conversion is guaranteed on the next spin.

When Free Spins starts, converted positions remain marked for the duration of the feature. That persistence changes the state carried between spins and can give later Sorceress landings more positions to affect.

The rule attaches persistence to positions within the feature, not to a player's account indefinitely. A completed bonus, stake change or new round should not be assumed to preserve an earlier configuration unless the live client explicitly shows it.

Silver matches; Gold makes Wilds

Two conversions with different outcomes

The Silver Sorceress converts all marked symbols and herself into one randomly selected paying symbol. Every affected position becomes the same selected symbol before the grid is evaluated under the feature rule.

The Gold Sorceress instead converts all marked symbols and herself into Wild symbols. Wilds substitute for paying symbols as documented, making this route mechanically distinct from Silver's single-symbol conversion.

“Random paying symbol” does not mean the player can choose a symbol or that the highest value is equally likely. The current help gives the conversion outcome but does not publish a probability table for the selected identity.

A conversion can create several ways, yet it remains constrained by the reel layout and paytable. It should not be described as a guaranteed screen win or a fixed multiplier because neither claim appears in the checked help.

Seven, ten or fifteen initial spins

Scatter count sets the opening award

Three Scatters award seven Free Spins, four award ten and five award fifteen. The feature uses the expanded five-by-four grid and its 1,024 ways from the beginning.

Every Scatter that lands during Free Spins adds one more spin. The help does not set a promised total, so the starting award and any later additions must be recorded separately.

Positions converted during the feature remain marked, allowing the state to develop across the bonus. That is the key continuity mechanic; it does not guarantee that another Sorceress will arrive to use every available mark.

The larger grid and persistent marks can increase the number of possible interactions, but they do not alter the mathematical meaning of RTP. A single bonus can finish above or below its cost irrespective of the long-run percentage.

Optional direct trigger where enabled

The 100× Buy Feature has its own RTP

The optional Buy Feature costs 100× the selected bet and guarantees the appearance of at least three Scatters, thereby entering Free Spins under the normal scatter award rules.

The checked help gives this route 96.58% RTP, compared with 96.43% for ordinary play. Those are separate theoretical configurations, not a prediction that one purchased bonus returns 96.58 units from every 100 units spent.

The purchase guarantees access, not a profit, a specific Sorceress, a particular number of retriggers or the 25,000× cap. Its immediate exposure is one hundred base bets before the feature result is known.

Operators and jurisdictions can remove the purchase button. Its presence in the official demo or help therefore cannot prove that it is lawful, enabled or available to a particular New Zealand account.

Live-help evidence

RTP, house edge and alternative builds

The information panel in the checked official demo states “the theoretical return to player for this game is 96.43%.” Subtracting that value from 100% gives a theoretical house edge of 3.57%. Both numbers describe the same long-run mathematical relationship from opposite directions; they are not separate charges and they are not a forecast for a deposit.

A return of 96.43% means that across the model's very large test horizon, average awards correspond to 96.43 units for every 100 units staked. It does not mean a player receives that percentage back after 100 spins. High variation, rare features and capped awards can produce short samples far above or below the designed average.

Alternative game IDs are material even when their exact returns are absent from the public product card. A casino can deploy a lower-RTP build under the same consumer title. We therefore do not label 96.43% “universal” or “guaranteed.” Open the information control in the operator client and look for the percentage after the game has loaded.

The Buy Feature is mathematically separate in the checked help: it states 96.58% RTP and costs 100x the selected bet. That route can be unavailable in some markets or excluded by an operator. Its published return does not make the option affordable or reduce the possibility of losing the full price.

Do not infer RTP from a demo balance, one successful bonus, a streaming clip or a site's headline card. A random sample cannot identify the configured model reliably. The useful audit record is the exact title, visible game ID or version, displayed RTP, date and operator client captured together.

Distribution, not prediction

Volatility and maximum-win limits

Relax Gaming's 23 March 2022 release labels Hex high volatility. The checked v1.0.8 help does not state a numerical volatility index, hit rate or bonus frequency.

The v1.0.8 help ends the round when wins reach or exceed 25,000x and awards exactly 25,000x the round bet. “Times bet” uses the full paid stake for the initiating round, not one coin, one line or the balance. A $1 hypothetical stake makes the scale easy to understand, but it does not assert that NZD play is offered.

A cap is a settlement limit, not a realistic session target. It provides no countdown, hit schedule or evidence that raising the stake improves the chance per dollar. Previous non-winning spins do not move a random future result closer to the cap. Treat every paid round as new exposure.

Practical risk is also shaped by total stake, spin speed, feature purchases, enhanced-spin options and session length. A lower stake repeated rapidly can expose more money than a higher stake used briefly. Decide the total acceptable loss before opening the game, then use account limits and breaks rather than chasing a feature.

Read the charged amount

Bet range, optional costs and affordability

Read the exact stake range, currency and total charged amount in the operator client. A global demo cannot verify an NZD range or the controls enabled for a real-money account.

Always read the total bet immediately before a paid action. The interface can show denomination, level, lines and total stake separately. Enhanced spins or bonus-reel options may increase the price of a round, while a feature purchase can cost many multiples of the base stake. The amount leaving the balance is the relevant measure.

A useful pre-session calculation is total bet multiplied by the maximum number of rounds you are prepared to buy, assuming the entire amount can be lost. For a feature purchase, treat the whole displayed price as exposed at once. Do not finance a purchase by increasing the base stake after losses.

Promotional funds do not change the slot's RTP. Wagering requirements, game contribution, maximum-bet rules and cash-out limits sit in the operator's terms. Check them independently, because a bonus can make an otherwise permitted game or stake ineligible.

Interface verification

Mobile help and what a demo can prove

The official web demo loaded a responsive game client and exposed the title, help date, version, rules and return information used here. On a phone, locate the menu, information icon, total bet, balance and paytable before considering a paid round. If text is clipped, rotate the device or expand the help rather than relying on a search result.

A demo can demonstrate symbol movement, feature order, mode selection and interface controls with valueless credits. It cannot establish that a real-money operator accepts players in New Zealand, that the operator uses the same game ID, or that its active RTP matches the demo.

Demo results also cannot validate the long-run RTP. Ten, one hundred or even thousands of observed spins are a noisy sample, especially in a volatile game. A large demo win is not a prediction for paid play and a dry demo sequence is not proof that the published mathematics is wrong.

If desktop and mobile help disagree, pause. Record the exact URL or operator, title, mode, help version and percentages. The mismatch can indicate a cached client, a market build or an update. Current deployed help is stronger evidence than an undated review, but conflicting clients still need clarification.

Separate evidence chain

New Zealand access is not inferred from the demo

Relax Gaming's own-games catalogue and public demo show that the studio publishes Hex. They do not show that a named operator lawfully offers it to a person in New Zealand. Studio publication, aggregation, operator inventory, territorial access and legal status are separate claims.

Before any real-money use, verify the operator's identity, current New Zealand terms, age and location controls, payments, withdrawals, complaints, account limits and self-exclusion tools. A localised page, NZD wallet or country flag is not on its own regulatory proof.

New Zealand's online-gambling position is time-sensitive. Check the Department of Internal Affairs player guidance and our dated legal-status guide at the point of use. This review is about one game's rules and does not provide legal advice.

Even after an operator check, inspect the live game help. A valid operator relationship does not prove the highest RTP, and the right RTP does not prove operator status. Keeping both questions separate prevents a global demo from becoming an unsupported availability claim.

Source reconciliation

What the checked sources establish

The official product page establishes first-party authorship, public release status, layout, reference bets, headline features and the supported market game IDs. The loaded demo supplies the stronger operational evidence for rules, version, displayed RTP, purchase route and win-cap wording.

The current help verifies the two grid sizes, ways counts, marked-symbol state, Silver and Gold Sorceress conversions, scatter schedule, persistent marks in Free Spins, two RTP settings, 100x purchase and 25,000x cap. It does not supply an NZD stake range or operator availability.

Third-party reviews were used to find frequent questions and contradictions, not to override the live help. Competitors often print only the largest cap, omit the selected mode, describe alternative IDs as exact RTPs without a source, or treat global demo access as operator availability.

The evidence was checked on 6 October 2026. The date matters: Relax can update a client or product card, and operators can retain another certified build. Future checks should start with the deployed help and compare its identifier, version and return with this record.

We do not add a hit rate, feature frequency, universal volatility score, New Zealand operator claim or exact alternative RTP unless the checked first-party material supports it. An explicit evidence gap is preferable to a precise-looking number copied from another release.

Two-minute audit

Checklist before relying on this guide

1. Match the full title Hex and developer Relax Gaming.
2. Confirm game ID hex, help date 18 November 2024 and version 1.0.8 where shown.
3. Check the layout: five reels and three rows with 243 ways, expanding to four rows and 1,024 ways in Free Spins.
4. Read feature triggers, reset rules and settlement order in the live help.
5. Record the active RTP rather than assuming 96.43%.
6. Recheck the exact maximum wording: 25,000x the round bet.
7. Read the displayed total stake after enabling any option.
8. Verify operator identity and New Zealand access independently.
9. Check promotional terms separately from game mathematics.
10. Set money and time limits that remain acceptable if no feature arrives.

If the live help differs, use that deployed build and send the title, game ID, version, date and screenshot through our corrections process. That evidence lets us update one canonical review without creating duplicate RTP or bonus pages.

Exact-title navigation

Related rules and provider guides

Temple Tumble 2 Dream Drop — uses cluster cascades and a jackpot system rather than 243-way marked-symbol conversions.

Feature-purchase mathematics — places a 100x entry cost and a separate RTP setting in their proper risk context.

Compare the active RTP, evaluation model, feature trigger, purchase price, volatility evidence and maximum-win unit—not the loudness of the theme. Those fields show whether two games genuinely create different risk and rules.

Our Relax Gaming guide keeps in-house releases apart from partner content carried by the aggregator. Each game then has one complete canonical URL for rules, RTP, mobile help and demo limits.