Buffalo King vs Buffalo King Megaways: Which One to Play

The short answer

Play the original Buffalo King for the size of what can happen; play Buffalo King Megaways for how often something happens, and for the fact that it is the one actually available at US casinos.

The two games came out two years apart, in 2019 and 2021, and Pragmatic Play changed far more than the reel engine between them. The real difference sits in the free spins, where the two games treat their multiplier wilds in opposite ways.

Multiplied against added

In the original Buffalo King, free-spin wilds carry x2, x3 or x5. When several of them join one win, their values are multiplied together. Two x5 wilds make x25; five of them in one way make x3,125, the figure Bigwinboard quotes as the ceiling. That multiplying is behind the theoretical 93,750x maximum win reviewers cite, and it is why a Buffalo King round can stay quiet for a long stretch and then produce one enormous hit.

The Megaways game keeps the same x2, x3 and x5 values but adds them instead. Values build across a tumble sequence and reset at the start of each free spin. A spin with several wilds and a long cascade pays well; it cannot reach the extremes of the original. The listed maximum is 5,000x.

That is the whole choice in two numbers: 93,750x against 5,000x. A player who wants a shot at a huge result takes the original. A player who would rather have a round that pays more evenly takes the Megaways version.

Grid and base game

Buffalo King runs a fixed 6x4 grid with 4,096 ways, and the wild appears on reels two to six. The base game is plain: wilds, bonus coins and ways wins. Volatility ratings differ by source, high at Bigwinboard and medium-high at slotcatalog.

The Megaways sequel uses six reels of two to seven symbols plus a four-symbol top reel over reels two to five, for up to 200,704 ways. Winning symbols tumble away and new ones fall in, so one spin can pay several times. Bigwinboard rates it high volatility.

Free-spin triggers differ too. Buffalo King awards 8, 15, 25 or 100 free spins for three to six bonus symbols, and retriggers with as few as two. Buffalo King Megaways awards 12, 17 or 22 for four to six scatters, plus a cash award of 5x, 20x or 100x the bet, and three or more scatters in the round add five spins with no cap on retriggers.

Buy features and stakes

Only the Megaways game sells its bonus. Where the jurisdiction allows, a feature buy costs 100x the bet, and an Ante Bet adds 25% to the stake to double the chance of free spins. The original has neither.

Stakes run from 0.40 to 60 on Buffalo King and from 0.20 to 125 on the Megaways game, though US operators cap the sequel at $100 to $200, according to HighStakesGuide.

Where each can be played

This settles it for many US players. Buffalo King Megaways is confirmed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Carriers include BetMGM, Caesars Palace Online, Golden Nugget, Borgata and Hard Rock Bet, and DraftKings and FanDuel carry it in Michigan. The New Jersey and Michigan pages list the licensed brands.

The original Buffalo King is not confirmed at any regulated US online casino, even though Pragmatic Play is live in those states. For US players the Megaways game is the only real-money option of the two.

RTP favours the sequel slightly as well: 96.52% on Pragmatic’s page against 96.06%, with lower builds of both in circulation. A third game, Buffalo King Untamed Megaways from 2024, extends the line; the Pragmatic Play provider page lists all three.