Deep Core is a multiplayer fish-shooting arcade game, not a pokie with reels. You pilot a submarine into the dark ocean depths after the legendary Deep Sea Core, and every shark or sea monster you blast pays out - with a verified 97.5% RTP, bets from 0.01 to 100, and weapon events like the Hellspike Bomb doing the heavy lifting. This guide covers how it pays, what the weapons cost, the free demo, and where Kiwi players can dive in.
Deep Core is a multiplayer fish-shooting casino game by KA Gaming, released in July 2026. Players pilot a submarine and fire at sharks and sea monsters on a shared screen; each kill pays a multiplier of the bet. It is an arcade-style shooting game with a 97.5% RTP and high volatility - not a reel-based pokie.
This guide is for New Zealand players searching Deep Core - the rules, the weapons, the maths, and safe places to play. KA Gaming (the "KA" is their own "Kick A$$" acronym) is a Taiwan-founded studio now based in Samoa, with 1,019 in-house titles - and fish shooters are their signature category, with 122 of them in the catalogue.
Fish shooters (also called fish tables or fish hunting games) are the arcade cousin of the pokie. Instead of spinning reels, you spend your stake on bullets: every shot costs a slice of your bet, and every creature you kill pays a multiplier back. Bigger, rarer creatures pay more - but they soak up more bullets to take down, which is where the high volatility comes from.
It's real-money skill-arcade play, not a provably-fair crash game: your aim and target choices matter at the margins, but the RTP (97.5% here) is still baked in over the long run. The multiplayer arena means you're shooting alongside other players in the same shoal - kills and weapon events play out on a shared screen.
New to the genre? Our guide explains the whole category - bullet economics, target values, and the best fish games available to Kiwi players in 2026, with Deep Core as our featured pick.
The base gun chips away one bullet at a time. The three weapon events are where sessions are won - each works differently:
Achieving this win type detonates a bomb that kills a set number of fish on screen at once. One trigger, a full pocket of payouts - the screen-clearer.
Triggers a chain event that kills a chain of fish in sequence. Watch it arc across the shoal - chained kills stack multipliers fast when it passes through a school.
Switches your weapon to a powerful attack for easier aiming and bigger payouts. Costs 6x your bet to activate - the high-roller's targeting computer.
| Weapon | Effect | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellspike Bomb | Bombs and kills a set number of fish on screen | Awarded in play | Crowded screens - instant multi-kill payouts |
| Voidhammer | Chain event killing a chain of fish | Awarded in play | Schools and lined-up targets |
| Powerful Bullet | Powerful attack: easier aiming, bigger payouts | 6x your bet to activate | Hunting high-value sharks and sea monsters |
// SlotCatalog also notes random multipliers in play - treat exact values as paytable-dependent until verified in-game.
If you can tap a screen, you can play a fish table. The loop:
Choose a stake anywhere from 0.01 to 100. Your bet sets the bullet cost - every shot you fire draws from it, so bet size is really fire-rate economics.
Sharks and sea monsters swim across the shared arena. Tap to shoot; every kill pays a multiplier. Small fish pay small and die fast; monsters pay big and soak bullets.
Hellspike Bombs and Voidhammers clear groups of fish at once, and the Powerful Bullet (6x bet) upgrades your gun for serious hunts. These events are where the session swings.
The classic fish-table mistake is spraying bullets at everything. Pick targets, let other players soften up the big ones, and know when a monster isn't worth the ammunition.
The verified numbers, plus the one figure nobody has published yet:
No reels, no lines - the feature set is built around the shooting:
Every bullet costs, every kill pays. Target selection and fire discipline genuinely shape your session - rare for a casino game, standard for a fish table.
You share the shoal with other players in real time - everyone shooting the same screen, racing for the same monsters, watching each other's weapon events pop.
SlotCatalog notes random multipliers in the mix on top of the weapon events - the extra variance layer behind that high-volatility rating.
No native app exists - and fish shooters are arguably better without one. KA Gaming builds everything in HTML5, and tap-to-shoot is native to touchscreens, so Deep Core runs beautifully in any modern iPhone or Android browser. Skip any "Deep Core APK" downloads; unofficial files are a security risk.
Fish shooters don't have free spins - there's nothing to spin. The honest redirect: use the free demo above, or claim a free-spins bonus at an NZ casino carrying KA Gaming titles - knowing the spins apply to pokies, and fish games are often excluded from bonus wagering entirely.
KA Gaming doesn't sell direct - its catalogue travels through aggregators (Relax Gaming's Plat-to-Plat, SoftGamings, SoftSwiss, Slotegrator, EveryMatrix, BetConstruct, PariPlay), so Deep Core will surface at casinos powered by those platforms. Slotozilla already runs a dedicated NZ KA Gaming page, which is solid evidence the provider reaches Kiwi players.
One honest warning specific to fish games: they're often excluded from bonus wagering, or count only 0–20% toward it. If you're claiming a welcome bonus to play Deep Core, read the game-weighting table first - pokies usually count 100%, fish games usually don't.
What to look for in a Deep Core casino as a Kiwi player:
// deepcore.co.nz is an independent guide; we may earn a commission from some links. Availability and bonuses change - always read the terms.
The fish-table shelf is bigger than most NZ players realise. Here's how Deep Core stacks up:
| Game | Provider | Format | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Core | KA Gaming | Fish shooter | Submarine, Hellspike Bomb, Powerful Bullet (6x), 97.5% RTP |
| Fish Catch | RTG | Fish shooter | The classic NZ-casino fish table |
| Ocean King Jackpot | TaDa Gaming | Fish shooter | Jackpot boss rounds |
| Fortune King Jackpot | TaDa Gaming | Fish shooter | Oriental shooting game |
| Golden Dragon | KA Gaming | Fish shooter | Same provider, boss-capture format |
| Dorks of the Deep | Hacksaw | 5-reel pokie | The reel-slot alternative for deep-sea theme fans |
The twelve questions NZ players ask most about KA Gaming's deep-sea fish shooter - from the 97.5% RTP and Powerful Bullet maths to demos, multiplayer and whether it's a pokie at all.
> Try the DemoDeep Core is a multiplayer fish-shooting casino game by KA Gaming, released 8 July 2026. You pilot a submarine after the legendary Deep Sea Core, firing at sharks and sea monsters - each kill pays a multiplier of your bet. It's an arcade shooter, not a reel pokie.
KA Gaming - the "KA" stands for "Kick A$$" by their own branding. Founded in Taiwan and now headquartered in Apia, Samoa, they hold 1,019 in-house titles including 122 fish shooters, which is their signature category. Distribution runs through major aggregators worldwide.
The listed RTP is 97.5% (per Minibet), well above the 96% genre norm, paired with high volatility. As with any new release, confirm the figure in the in-game paytable before playing - that's the authoritative source for your casino's build.
Not published in any source we found - it's TBC. High-volatility fish games typically cap per-fish multipliers rather than advertise a headline max win. Check the in-game paytable for the top creature values, and treat any site quoting a figure as guessing.
KA Gaming reaches NZ through aggregator platforms like SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix and PariPlay, and Slotozilla already runs a dedicated NZ KA Gaming page - solid evidence of live distribution. Confirm Deep Core loads at your chosen casino from a New Zealand connection before depositing.
Yes. Free demos are live at SlotCatalog, SlotsLaunch, CasinoTreasure, Fonbet, Leon, Minibet and Bet Match - no sign-up or download needed. The demo fires the same weapons at the same shoal, so it's ideal for learning bullet economics first.
No. Fish shooters have no reels, so there's nothing to spin - and no wilds, scatters or bonus rounds either. The game's "features" are weapon events: Hellspike Bomb, Voidhammer and the Powerful Bullet. Casino free-spins bonuses apply to pokies only.
The Powerful Bullet switches your weapon to a powerful attack with easier aiming and bigger payouts, and it costs 6x your bet to activate. It's the high-commitment option for hunting sharks and sea monsters - activate it when a high-value target is on screen, not for small fry.
It's a fishing game (fish shooter) - an arcade-style shooting game where bullets cost stake and kills pay multipliers. Kiwis searching "Deep Core pokie" will find it filed under arcade or fish games in casino lobbies, not with the reel-based pokies.
KA Gaming states its titles are GLI-tested, though no public supplier licence has been independently verified - so the honest advice is context: play Deep Core at licensed casinos carrying KA's catalogue, where the operator's own licensing covers you. Licensed offshore sites only, 18+.
Yes. Deep Core runs a shared fish arena where you shoot alongside other players in real time - same screen, same shoal, same monsters. Weapon events and big kills play out publicly, which is half the fun of the fish-table format.
No native app exists. KA Gaming builds everything in HTML5, and tap-to-shoot is native to touchscreens, so Deep Core plays smoothly in any modern iPhone or Android browser. Avoid third-party APK downloads claiming to be the game.
Deep Core is the pick of 2026's fish shooters for Kiwi players: KA Gaming's signature genre done right, with a verified 97.5% RTP, a 0.01–100 bet range that suits every bankroll, and weapon events - Hellspike Bomb, Voidhammer, the 6x Powerful Bullet - that give sessions genuine swing.
The smart dive plan: learn bullet economics on the free demo, save the Powerful Bullet for monster hunts, and play at licensed casinos that carry KA Gaming in New Zealand - checking bonus wagering terms before you claim anything.