Buffalo Rising Megaways slot

Buffalo Rising Megaways: Blueprint’s take on the herd

Buffalo slots are a genre of their own, built on the image of a herd thundering across open plains. Blueprint Gaming, the UK studio founded in 2001 and based in Newark, brought that theme to the Megaways engine in October 2018, the same year it released other early licensed Megaways games.

Blueprint doesn’t own Megaways; it uses the mechanic under licence from Big Time Gaming, which created it. That shows in the layout, which follows the BTG pattern of six variable reels and a horizontal reel above them. The result is a familiar structure with Blueprint’s own art, sound and feature design laid over it.

How the top reel and 117,649 ways fit together

Each main reel shows a changing number of symbols on every spin. The horizontal reel sits above the central reels and adds one extra symbol to each of them, which is counted in the ways total. Multiply the final heights of all six reels and you have the number of ways for that spin, up to a maximum of 117,649, or seven to the power of six.

A worked example helps. If the six reels finish at 3, 5, 6, 4, 7 and 2 symbols, including the top-reel additions, the ways count is 3 × 5 × 6 × 4 × 7 × 2 = 5,040. Had one of the central reels shown one symbol fewer, the total would have fallen by between a seventh and a quarter. Small changes in reel height have large effects on the ways count, which is why the number on screen jumps around so much.

None of this changes your stake. A 40p spin costs 40p whether the screen offers 64 ways or the full 117,649. Our guide to how Megaways works covers the counting in more depth.

Theme and presentation

The game sits in the North American wildlife tradition that runs through most buffalo slots, with the buffalo as the star symbol and a big-sky backdrop behind the reels. Blueprint’s interface puts the stake controls along the bottom and the ways count above the reels. As with any slot, the art tells you nothing about the maths; the paytable is where the real information is.

Buffalo Rising features: what to read in the help screen

Like most Megaways games, Buffalo Rising’s main feature is a free spins round, and that is where a game like this usually keeps its bigger payouts. We haven’t been able to verify the exact trigger count, the number of spins, the multiplier rules or how retriggers work for Buffalo Rising from an official source, so we don’t list them here. The game’s help screen sets them out for the version your casino runs.

Use the checklist below when you open it. It turns a quick read into a clear picture of how the game pays, and the same approach works on any Megaways slot.

1. Find the RTP line and note the figure; compare it with the 96.5% listing.
2. Check how many scatters start free spins and how many spins they award.
3. Look for any win multiplier in free spins, how it grows and whether it resets.
4. Read the retrigger rule: how many scatters and how many extra spins.
5. Note any maximum win cap and the stake range offered.
6. Look at the top-paying symbols and what six of a kind pays as a multiple of the stake.

Buffalo Rising Megaways RTP: why 96.5% may not be what you get

The 96.5% figure comes from a slot database listing rather than a developer page we could check. That matters because Blueprint commonly ships several RTP versions of its games. Its Diamond Mine Megaways, for example, is listed at 96.43% with 93% and 92.01% versions also available, and Even Bigger Catch comes in 95% and 93% builds.

Here is what that difference can cost. Take 100 spins at 80p, £64 staked in total. At 96.5% the theoretical cost is £2.24. If a casino ran a 92% version, the theoretical cost would be £5.12, more than double. Neither changes what happens in one session much, because volatility dominates short-term results, but over months the lower version takes noticeably more.

The 94% and 92% rows are illustrations, not confirmed versions of this game. Our guide on how to find a slot’s RTP shows where the live figure appears.

Volatility and max win: what we can and can’t say

We haven’t found a verified volatility rating or maximum win for Buffalo Rising Megaways, so we don’t quote either. What can be said is that Megaways games with a free spins bonus usually concentrate a good share of their return in that bonus, which tends to mean uneven results and quiet spells. If the rules screen shows a max win cap, that is the ceiling for any single round. Our volatility guide explains how to judge a game’s swings from its paytable.

Playing Buffalo Rising Megaways under UK rules

• Maximum stake per spin: £5 if you are 25 or over, £2 if you are 18–24.
• Each spin lasts at least 2.5 seconds; autoplay, turbo and slam-stop are not available.
• Wins smaller than the stake aren’t celebrated, and your net position is always shown.
• Feature buys are not offered in Great Britain.
• Demo play requires age verification first.

Read more on our UK slot rules page. At a 2.5-second minimum, 100 spins take at least four minutes and ten seconds, a useful figure when planning session length.

Buffalo Rising Megaways vs other buffalo and Megaways slots

Buffalo King Megaways is the obvious rival, with more ways and a published cap. Buffalo Blitz uses a fixed 4,096-way grid. Diamond Mine Megaways shares Blueprint’s six-reels-plus-horizontal-reel layout from the same year.

Buffalo Rising Megaways pros and cons

Buffalo Rising suits players who already enjoy Megaways and animal themes and are happy to read the rules screen before they start. More herd-themed games are on our animal slots page.

Where to play Buffalo Rising Megaways

Play at a UK Gambling Commission-licensed casino and check the RTP line in the game. We can’t confirm which of our partners list this title, so search their lobbies after joining. Their welcome offers below are 18+, terms apply, and 10bet’s bonus must be wagered 10x on slots within 3 days.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.