Buffalo King Megaways

Buffalo King Megaways Slot Review

Pragmatic Play continues its track record with Buffalo King Megaways, a sequel that maintains the familiar buffalo-and-frontier aesthetic whilst delivering a significantly more volatile, feature-focused experience than its predecessor. Released in April 2021, this game represents an interesting shift in the developer’s approach to the franchise—trading the original Buffalo King’s massive 88,000x potential for a more balanced design around the Megaways mechanic. The 6-reel, 200,704 ways to win structure creates an expansive gameplay landscape, with dynamic symbol heights and cascading mechanics forming the mechanical core. This is a game built for players who appreciate high volatility, punchy multiplier systems, and bonus-focused sessions. Whether you’re familiar with the original or discovering the franchise for the first time, Buffalo King Megaways stakes its claim as a technically refined offering in Pragmatic Play’s catalogue.

Base Game & Features

The core gameplay revolves around a 6-reel grid with dynamic symbol heights, each reel capable of displaying between 2 and 8 symbols per spin. This variability creates the 200,704 ways to win, a far cry from traditional fixed paylines and one of the defining characteristics of the Megaways mechanic. Symbols land across the reels, and wins form from left to right—you need a minimum of 2 identical symbols starting from reel 1 to trigger a payout. Standard symbols include lower-value playing card ranks and thematic icons (feathers, buffalo, gold coins), with special attention paid to the wild symbol, which acts as a substitute for all regular symbols.

Avalanche & Tumble Multiplier System

Where Buffalo King Megaways truly distinguishes itself is the Avalanche/Tumble mechanic, which takes the cascading concept and layers multiplicative stacking on top. When a winning combination lands, those symbols disappear and new ones cascade down to fill the gaps. During this cascade sequence, wild multipliers land with values of 2x, 3x, or 5x, and critically, these multipliers stack multiplicatively rather than additively. A single cascade might see a 5x multiplier combine with another 5x and a 3x, creating a cumulative 75x multiplier applied to that cascading win. This system generates the genuine explosive potential the game is known for, transforming otherwise modest base game wins into meaningful payouts through successive tumbles.

Megaways Mechanic in Action

The Megaways engine isn’t revolutionary—it’s become an industry standard across many providers—but Pragmatic Play implements it competently here. The dynamic reel heights mean no two spins feel identical in structure, though wins follow the same left-to-right matching principle. With 200,704 potential winning combinations on each spin, the sheer volume of ways creates a mathematical foundation for reasonable hit frequency. Indeed, the game delivers a 20.22% hit rate (approximately one in five spins), ensuring that players experience winning activity on a consistent basis during base gameplay. However, the 5/5 high volatility rating means these wins are often modest, with the real excitement reserved for feature triggers or particularly active cascade sequences.

Buffalo King Megaways Free Spins

The free spins feature represents the peak engagement moment for Buffalo King Megaways. Landing 3 or more scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers the bonus round, with the number of scatters determining your initial free spin allocation: 4 scatters = 12 free spins, 5 scatters = 17 free spins, 6 scatters = 22 free spins. During the bonus, the core mechanics remain unchanged—Megaways grid structure, Avalanche tumbles, multiplier stacking—but the psychological impact shifts. Players approaching free spins are acutely aware that this is their opportunity for meaningful wins, and the high volatility design reflects this tension perfectly. The multiplier stacking system becomes the focal point: every cascade carries the potential for additional multipliers to land and compound.

Retrigger Mechanics & Extended Sessions

One of the standout features of Buffalo King Megaways is the unlimited retrigger system. If you land 3 or more scatter symbols during the free spins bonus, you immediately receive 5 additional free spins. Crucially, there’s no cap on retriggers—you can keep retrieving more spins indefinitely, which explains why community players specifically cite retriggering scenarios as creating the most thrilling moments. A session that starts with 12 free spins can balloon into 50+ spins if the game cooperates, and each additional retrigger feels like a meaningful achievement. This retrigger system aligns perfectly with the high volatility design, creating extended bonus sessions that can either deliver explosive wins or frustrating drought periods depending on how the multipliers align.

Ante Bet & Bonus Buy

Pragmatic Play offers two ancillary betting features. The Ante Bet increases your stake slightly in exchange for a marginally improved scatter distribution, bumping the maximum possible bet from £100 to £125. It’s a familiar mechanic across Pragmatic Play’s catalogue—players seeking slightly better feature frequency at the cost of increased bankroll burn can activate it. More significantly, the Bonus Buy feature allows you to purchase direct access to the free spins round for 100x your total bet. However, this feature is not available in UK jurisdictions due to UKGC regulations on bonus purchase mechanics, so UK players must trigger free spins through standard scatter gameplay. For non-UK players, the Bonus Buy does provide a degree of player agency—you can decide when you want to gamble a larger amount for a guaranteed feature trigger rather than hoping for scatter symbols.

Our Honest Verdict

Buffalo King Megaways is a technically competent sequel that succeeds in its primary objective: delivering a high-volatility, bonus-focused experience to players seeking that specific gameplay profile. Pragmatic Play didn’t attempt anything revolutionary—the Megaways system is industry-standard at this point, and the base mechanics are familiar across the developer’s portfolio. What distinguishes this release is the Avalanche Multiplier system, which genuinely engages during free spins through its multiplicative stacking mechanic. A properly triggering cascade sequence can feel thrilling, especially during extended retriggering scenarios where multipliers compound across multiple tumbles. The 96.52% RTP sits above industry averages, offering reasonable value for players willing to embrace the variance inherent in 5/5 volatility.

The trade-offs are equally transparent. Base game engagement is modest—the game isn’t designed for extended sessions grinding through base spins. With approximately one in five spins resulting in a win, but those wins often being small relative to your stake, the stretches between bonus triggers can feel frustratingly unremarkable. Players unfamiliar with high volatility may find themselves grinding through extended periods feeling like they’re not getting anywhere, despite the reasonable hit frequency. The 5,000x max win cap is notably lower than the original Buffalo King’s 88,000-93,750x potential, which will disappoint those specifically chasing the franchise’s maximum multiplier reputation.

Ultimately, Buffalo King Megaways will resonate with players who prioritise bonus features over base game engagement and appreciate the variance of high volatility slots. It won’t satisfy those seeking consistent base game action, medium volatility preferences, or the truly massive multiplier potential of Megaways releases that reach 20,000x and beyond. For Megaways enthusiasts comfortable with extended dry spells between features, and players who thrive on the unpredictability of high variance, this release represents a solid offering from Pragmatic Play worth exploring.

Buffalo King Megaways FAQs

• What is the RTP of Buffalo King Megaways?

  The RTP of Buffalo King Megaways is 96.52%, which is above average for online slots. This sits slightly higher than the industry standard of 96%, offering reasonable value to players willing to embrace the game’s high volatility. Pragmatic Play uses flexible RTP, so some casinos may offer alternative versions.
• What is the maximum win on Buffalo King Megaways?

  The maximum win potential is 5,000x your stake. This is significantly lower than the original Buffalo King game, which had approximately 88,000-93,750x winning potential, making this sequel considerably more modest in terms of headline multipliers.
• How volatile is Buffalo King Megaways?

  Buffalo King Megaways is a high volatility game, scoring 5 out of 5 on the volatility scale. This means wins occur less frequently—approximately one in five spins result in a payout—but when wins do land, they can be substantial. High volatility suits players with patience for longer dry spells in exchange for larger payouts.
• Does Buffalo King Megaways have free spins?

  Yes, Buffalo King Megaways features a free spins bonus. Land 4, 5, or 6 scatter symbols to trigger 12, 17, or 22 free spins respectively. During the bonus, you can retrigger unlimited times by landing 3 or more scatters, which award 5 additional free spins each. This means a session can extend from 12 free spins to 50+ if the game cooperates.
• What makes Buffalo King Megaways different from the original Buffalo King?

  Buffalo King Megaways introduces the Megaways engine with 200,704 ways to win (versus traditional paylines), features cascading tumbles creating multiple outcomes per spin, includes multiplicative wild multipliers (2x/3x/5x) during free spins that stack together, and offers an RTP of 96.52%. However, it caps at a max win of 5,000x, significantly lower than the original game’s 88,000-93,750x potential.
• Can I play Buffalo King Megaways on mobile?

  Yes, Buffalo King Megaways is fully optimized for mobile play on iOS and Android devices, tablets, and all standard web browsers using HTML5 technology. No app download is required—simply access the game through your device’s browser for a seamless experience on the go.
• Does Buffalo King Megaways have a bonus buy feature?

  Yes, Buffalo King Megaways includes a bonus buy feature that allows you to purchase direct access to free spins for 100x your total bet. However, this feature is not available to UK players due to UKGC regulations on bonus purchase mechanics. UK players must trigger free spins through standard scatter symbol gameplay.
• How does the Avalanche Multiplier system work in Buffalo King Megaways?

  The Avalanche or Tumble mechanic works by removing winning symbols and cascading new ones downward to fill gaps. During this cascade sequence, wild multipliers land with values of 2x, 3x, or 5x. Importantly, these multipliers stack multiplicatively—meaning a 5x + 5x + 3x cascade creates a cumulative 75x multiplier on the wins. This system is what generates the game’s explosive bonus potential.