Slots Like Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter: The Ship Battle That Grows the Reels to Five Rows
Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter is a Play’n GO release built around a 5 reel, 3 row grid paying through 243 Connect Ways rather than fixed lines, with a wild that never leaves the middle reels and a free spins round that turns into a full ship-to-ship cannon fight. The top-tier build carries a 96.2% RTP, though Play’n GO also ships reduced configurations down to 84.2% for some operators, so it pays to check which version is live before staking anything. Bets run from 5p up to £100 a spin, volatility sits at the high end, and the ceiling on a single win is 9,000 times the stake. Anyone who came here chasing slots like Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter is usually after that same mix of naval combat and an expanding board, and there are a handful of other Play’n GO titles later on this page that scratch a similar itch.
Where to Play
18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
How the Game Works
Reviewed by Brian TaylorPublished: July 2026
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Skull Island is the setting here, and Play’n GO leans hard into a ship-plundering war rather than the usual treasure-map cliches. Captain Glum and his crew of Pirate Hunters are sent out against the Pirate Queen’s Army, and that framing shows up constantly in the reel art, with cannon fire, splintering hulls and rival flags doing a lot of the visual heavy lifting instead of parrots and rum barrels.
The feel of the base game is fairly calm for a high volatility title, since the Permanent Wild keeps repositioning itself every spin and gives the reels a sense of constant small movement even between proper wins. Things change completely once the Broadside battle kicks in during free spins, where the pace and presentation step up considerably as the two ships trade cannon fire and the grid grows underneath the player.
This one suits players who want a genuine theme to sit behind the mechanics rather than a reskinned generic ways-pay engine, and who don’t mind a fair number of quieter spins between the moments the Broadside feature actually lands. It is less suited to anyone who wants frequent small hits, since the structure clearly banks its excitement on the bonus round rather than smoothing things out across the base game.
Symbols and Paytable
Playing cards from 10 through Ace fill out the lower end of the paytable, with four crew portraits and a set of rival pirate ships making up the higher paying symbols. The Skull scatter sits above all of that, since landing three or more of them is what opens the door to the free spins round.
The Permanent Wild
A single wild is on the reels at all times, confined to reels 2, 3 and 4, and it relocates to a new position somewhere within that middle section on every base game spin. It substitutes for every regular symbol except the Skull scatter, and because it never actually disappears, it quietly boosts the odds of a payline connecting on almost every spin.
Captain’s Due and Wake Wilds
Landing one or more Skull scatters in view also triggers Captain’s Due, where a randomly chosen scatter is converted directly into the Permanent Wild. As that wild then shifts position on the following spins, it leaves Wake Wilds behind in the squares it previously occupied, briefly stacking extra wild coverage on top of the usual single wild.
Free Spins and the Broadside Battle
Three or more Skull scatters award 10 free spins in the Pirate Hunters vs Pirates mode, and this is where the Broadside mechanic takes over as the round’s scoring system. The Pirate Hunter and Pirate flagships fire on each other across the reels, and every hull segment destroyed both expands the grid, up to a maximum of 5 rows, and turns the wrecked ship symbol on that spot into a wild.
The Treasure Hunt Multiplier
If the Pirate Hunters come out on top of the ship battle, the round closes with a Treasure Hunt pick between three chests, each hiding a x2, x3 or x10 multiplier. Whichever multiplier is revealed is applied to the entire free spins win, giving the feature one final swing before the total is paid out.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A genuinely themed ship-battle bonus round rather than a generic reskinned free spins feature
- The Permanent Wild keeps the reels feeling active even during a run of losing spins
- Wake Wilds and Captain’s Due add a layer of extra wild coverage most 243-ways slots don’t bother with
- An expanding 5-row grid inside the Broadside feature genuinely changes how the free spins play out
- A 96.2% top-tier RTP configuration is comfortably above the UK market average where it’s offered
Cons
- Play’n GO ships this title in reduced-RTP configurations down to 84.2%, so the version at a given casino matters a great deal
- High volatility and a bonus-round-dependent structure mean long stretches without a meaningful win are common
- Hit frequency and bonus trigger rate aren’t published anywhere, making the wait between features hard to plan for
- A 9,000x ceiling, while solid, sits below the very top tier of what modern high volatility slots now offer
Game Screenshot
Demo Play
A free demo is the easiest way to see the Permanent Wild’s movement and the Broadside grid expansion for yourself before committing any real stakes, and it also lets you confirm which RTP configuration is running before you decide whether to play for real money.
Expert Take
The Permanent Wild and Wake Wilds combination is the part of this release that stands out most, since it gives a fairly standard 243-ways base game a persistent reason to keep watching the middle reels between bigger wins. The Broadside free spins round backs that up well, and the expanding grid is a satisfying payoff for a bonus that can take a while to arrive given the high volatility rating. The main thing worth flagging to anyone comparing sites before playing is the spread of RTP configurations Play’n GO has published for this title, since the gap between the top build and the lowest one is large enough to genuinely change the experience.
Similar Slots to Try
Another pirate themed release from the same publisher, with its own skull-heavy symbol set and a more classic bonus structure than the Broadside ship battle here.
A far more old school take on the pirate captain theme, running fixed paylines instead of ways and a simpler free games multiplier in place of the Broadside battle.
Another high seas adventure slot, this one built on a Megaways reel count and roaming wilds rather than the fixed 243 ways used here.
Our full hub of pirate and high seas slots for anyone who wants to keep browsing beyond this handful of picks.
About the Developer
Play’n GO was founded in 1997 by Johan Törnqvist, who remains the company’s CEO, and it is headquartered in Växjö, Sweden, with further offices covering Malta, Gibraltar, the UK, Hungary and the Philippines. The studio holds licences including the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority and the Gibraltar Licensing Authority, and unlike several of its longer-running rivals, it has stayed privately held and independent rather than being folded into a larger group. See more on our Play’n GO slots page.
Play’n GO’s best known release, an Egyptian themed expanding symbol slot that helped establish the studio’s reputation for high volatility gameplay.
A lighter, sweet shop themed release from the same studio, showing a very different side of Play’n GO’s catalogue to the naval combat here.
A compact classic fruit machine style release, worth a look for anyone curious how differently Play’n GO can build a game outside its bigger adventure titles.
Another adventure themed Play’n GO title, chasing a medieval quest narrative rather than the ship-to-ship combat built into Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter.
Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter Key Stats
Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter slot information last reviewed: July 2026
| Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter Slot Info | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter |
| Provider: | Play’n GO |
| Developer Rank: | A mid-catalogue entry within Play’n GO’s wider pirate and adventure themed lineup |
| RTP: | 96.2% (top-tier build; reduced configurations of 94.2%, 91.2%, 87.2% and 84.2% also circulate) |
| RTP Category: | High |
| RTP Rank: | Above the UK average at the top-tier configuration |
| Feature Description: | A Permanent Wild that relocates across reels 2 to 4 each spin, Captain’s Due scatter-to-wild conversion with Wake Wilds, and a Broadside free spins battle that expands the grid to 5 rows and closes with a Treasure Hunt multiplier pick. |
| Feature Categories: | Pirate Themed, Permanent Wild, Free Spins, Expanding Grid |
| Reels: | 5 |
| Rows: | 3, expanding up to 5 during Free Spins |
| Paylines: | 243 Connect Ways, rising as the grid expands in Free Spins |
| Volatility: | High |
| Volatility Rank: | Above average |
| Min Bet: | £0.05 |
| Max Bet: | £100 |
| Max Win: | 9,000x stake |
| Release Date: | 4 May 2023 |
| Slotslike Rank: | 1,842 out of 4,200+ games (View Top 100) |
Slots with the Same Features
A couple of the mechanics built into Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter show up, in different forms, across these other Play’n GO titles.
Another Play’n GO ways-pay title with a distinct target-shooting bonus round in place of the ship battle used here.
A high volatility Play’n GO release with its own multiplier-driven bonus system, for anyone drawn to this title’s bonus-heavy structure.
A cluster pays title that shares the same studio’s taste for high volatility and a board that keeps shifting under the player.
Another expanding symbol slot from the same publisher, sharing the high volatility profile without the naval battle theme.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Broadside free spins feature work?
During the 10 free spins triggered by 3 or more Skull scatters, the Pirate Hunter and Pirate ships fire cannons at each other. Every hull segment destroyed expands the grid, up to 5 rows, and converts the wrecked ship symbol into a wild.
What is the RTP of Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter?
The top-tier build carries a 96.2% RTP. Play’n GO also distributes reduced configurations of 94.2%, 91.2%, 87.2% and 84.2% to some operators, so the figure can vary by casino.
What is the maximum win on Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter?
The maximum possible win is 9,000 times the stake, which works out to £900,000 at the maximum £100 bet.
Is Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter high volatility?
Yes, it carries a high volatility rating, meaning wins are less frequent but the bonus round and top payouts can be considerably larger when they land.
What are the best slots like Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter?
Jolly Roger and Captain Venture cover similar pirate ground with different bonus structures, while Release the Kraken Megaways offers another high seas adventure slot built on a different reel mechanic.
Can I play Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter for free?
A free demo version is widely available and is a good way to see the Permanent Wild and the Broadside grid expansion before playing with real money.
Who developed Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter?
Play’n GO, a Sweden-headquartered studio founded in 1997, released Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter on 4 May 2023.
Our Verdict on Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter
Captain Glum: Pirate Hunter earns its keep through presentation as much as mechanics, with the Broadside ship battle turning a fairly ordinary 243-ways base game into something that actually feels like a naval skirmish once the free spins land. The Permanent Wild and Wake Wilds give the base game a bit more going for it than most ways-pay slots manage between bonus rounds, and the Treasure Hunt multiplier is a satisfying way to close out a strong free spins run. The spread of RTP configurations Play’n GO has published is the one thing worth checking carefully before playing, since the gap between the best and worst versions is considerable, but on its top-tier build this is a solid, well themed high volatility release.
SlotsLike rating: 7/10