Sabaton (Play’n GO): Review

Inspired by the Swedish power metal band, Sabaton is the very first branded release ever produced by Play’n GO. We first saw it showcased at the London iGaming conference in February and, as genuine fans of the band, it’s been one of our most anticipated slots. With over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify and their 10 most popular tracks surpassing 250 million plays, Sabaton is clearly far from an unknown garage act.

If you don’t know Sabaton, the band leans heavily into nationalism, with lyrics that frequently revolve around war, historic battles, and heroic deeds. Even if metal isn’t your thing, their sound is often more melodic and accessible, which helps explain their strong mainstream appeal. Fan or not, there are plenty of high-energy moments to expect here. Pairing famous bands with slots isn’t exactly new, though. NetEnt has done it for years with titles like Guns n’ Roses, Motörhead and Jimi Hendrix. Big Time Gaming has also embraced the concept, with The Final Countdown as the latest example.

In terms of format, Sabaton feels very much like a classic Play’n GO release. Featuring 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 paylines, you’re placed right at center stage with a hefty set of mechanics, including mystery symbols and metal stacks on every spin, mega symbols, randomly triggered Chained Reels, the randomly triggered Last Stand feature, and most importantly, the Battalion Spins free spin feature. Sabaton is available on all compatible devices with stakes ranging from 0.10 to 100€ per spin. The standard RTP is 96.50%, although some operators may configure it to 94.50% in certain markets.

Staying true to Sabaton’s war-focused style, a tank dominates the background—something that often appears as part of the band’s live stage setup. The presentation is punchy, and the reels are filled with low-value, old-school weaponry such as hand grenades, swords, ammunition, and Galea helmets. Higher up the paytable, the premium symbols are the band members, with bassist Pär Sundström offering the best regular payout at 10 times your stake for 5 on a payline. The top-paying symbol overall is Joakim, Sabaton’s lead singer. He acts as the wild and awards a total of 100 times your stake when you hit 5 of him on a payline.

Sabaton (Play’n GO): Features

On the feature front, Sabaton comes fully stocked. First up are Metal Stacks and Mystery Symbols – each spin selects one random symbol to be stacked and added onto the reels. On top of that, all band members can also show up as Mega Symbols during the feature, with the potential to cover the entire screen.

The Chained Reels feature can trigger at random on any spin. A set of 2 to 3 adjacent reels from the three middle reels is selected randomly, and they will spin in sync to land identical symbols. This feature does not run during the free spins.

Taking its name from the band’s best-known song, Last Stand is another feature that can activate randomly – either 1 or 2 reels are picked at random and turn into stacks of wilds. This feature is available both in the base game and during the free spins.

Even with a busy base game, the main attraction is the Battalion Spins which starts when you land 9 scatters, achieved via a fully visible Mega Scatter (3×3), standard scatters, or a mix of the two. You begin with 7 free spins, and one symbol is randomly selected to serve as your Metal Stacks and Mystery Symbol throughout the bonus. The feature can also be retriggered to award an extra 7 free spins.

While Battalion Spins are active, the three middle reels remain permanently linked and will always show the same symbols, Mega Symbols included. Lastly, if you land between 3 and 8 scatter symbols (just short of what’s needed to retrigger), every one of them is removed and converted into your chosen symbol.

Sabaton (Play’n GO): Verdict

Sabaton is a booming, high-intensity slot packed with features. It’s also highly volatile (10 out of 10 on the Play’n GO volatility scale), so you’ll want a sturdy bankroll before taking on this tank-like game. With several standout moments, the Battalion Spins is the clear highlight, where the strong pairing of Metal Stacks and Mystery Symbols can deliver wins of up to 5000 times your stake.

As fans, it’s difficult not to get excited about the Sabaton slot. But even if you’re not into the band, this is a polished Play’n GO title that delivers solid entertainment along with the rush of chasing big wins that most players want. Overall, Sabaton feels like one of Play’n GO’s strongest releases in a while, and it was a game we genuinely enjoyed.

Don’t Miss…

If you enjoyed Sabaton we recommend you also check out Demon and Black Mamba, both of which belong to Play’n GO’s range of branded rock band themed slots.