On this page you’ll find a full review of the Aristocrat slot named Buffalo and its many spin-offs. This game exists both as a slot machine that is physically located in land-based casinos, and as an online slot.
Since its release in 2008, the land-based version of Buffalo Slots became a staple of Las Vegas casinos, and in 2012 the online version – that we’re reviewing here – was launched. After that came the many spinoffs that built further on this awesome wildlife theme paired with the chance to win big.
Buffalo is such a popular slot that it doesn’t even need a review – the fact that the players are playing it as much as they are is the one testament to the game’s quality. There are few games that are as popular as Buffalo.
Still, we’ll review the game and will cover, among other things:
Aristocrat is probably responsible for the majority of the most popular slot machines in Las Vegas. You’ll find several variations of the Buffalo slot in every casino on The Strip, and we could say that the Buffalo slot machine became a multi billion dollar brand in itself, and has over 35 iterations. That’s how big the Buffalo family of slots is.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go to Vegas to play it. You can simply visit one of our recommended online casinos that have Aristocrat software and play Buffalo there. The online version of the slot is probably a better game, since it has RTP of 94.85% while the brick-and-mortar slot machine probably pays between 92% and 93%. It just feels as if the online version triggers the bonus rounds more often.
The slot machine was launched in 2008 to great critical acclaim, and in 2012 it was launched online. After that came the many spinoffs, such as the Buffalo Gold online slot that was launched in 2013, and many, many more.
It’s very easy to play the Buffalo slot. Regardless of which exact Buffalo game you’re playing, the process is always the same. Pick a number of paylines if they’re selectable, then adjust your bet per payline, and you’ll see what is your total bet per spin. When you’re happy with the total bet, click the large green button to start the game. Or, alternatively, use autoplay to speed the game up significantly. Buffalo is a high variance slot that doesn’t pay that often, so use of autoplay is advised.
You pay 40 coins to play all 1,024 paylines, and that is the best way to play the game. Choosing a fewer number of paylines would increase the variance of an already high-variance game.
Almost all Buffalo slots will follow the same guidelines and will use the same symbols. These are the usual payouts that you’ll see in the original Buffalo slot we’re reviewing here:
5 Symbols | 4 Symbols | 3 Symbols | 2 Symbols | |
Buffalo | 300 | 100 | 50 | 10 |
Eagle | 150 | 100 | 50 | – |
Cougar | 150 | 100 | 50 | – |
Wolf | 120 | 80 | 20 | – |
Deer | 120 | 80 | 20 | – |
A, K | 100 | 50 | 10 | – |
Q, J | 100 | 20 | 5 | – |
10 | 100 | 10 | 5 | – |
9 | 100 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
Scatter | 20 | 10 | 2 | – |
This is in fact not a high variance paytable as you might expect from a game in this genre, but the prizes are fairly similar to one another as you can see in the table above. The lowest-paying card symbols and the Eagle and the Cougar aren’t too far apart – prizes for five-of-a-kind are 100 and 150 coins respectively. The only symbol that stands out is the Buffalo.
Since the paytable is so balanced, during the free spins feature where win multipliers come into play, any win will be a big one, even if it’s made of 10s or Kings. The win multiplier can go up to 27x, so it’s possible to get enormous wins such as 2700x or even more than that – if very lucky, of course.
The main attraction of the Buffalo slot game is the free spins round. Players who play this type of slot expect the main feature to have the potential to be very rewarding. This is definitely the case in the Buffalo slot, as the Sunset Wilds get win multipliers of 2x or 3x, and they can multiply themselves up to 27x.
You get 8, 15 or 20 free spins for three, four or five triggering Scatters respectively. If you land two or more Scatters during the feature, you’ll be rewarded with +5 free spins. Each additional free spin can matter a lot in Buffalo, since there’s always a chance that the next one will be the one that pays big.
This free spins feature is the main reason behind Buffalo’s popularity – huge wins are possible when those Wild win multipliers align correctly. The paytable is already good enough and set up for a high variance game, and then these win multipliers enhance things greatly.
Finding a good online casino that has the game you want to play is more difficult than it seems. First and foremost, the casino has to be a good one that’s been reviewed by an independent authority such as PlaySlots4RealMoney.com, and then it has to have slots by the developer you want to play, in this case Aristocrat.
That’s why we did the heavy lifting for you and are listing the top Aristocrat casinos where you’ll find the Buffalo slot. You don’t have to search for anything yourself, the casinos we recommend passed all our checks, and all that’s left to do is to click the link and sign up!
While you’re already there, it might be a good choice to try out some other Buffalo games – in demo mode or real-money mode – and see which one you like the best.
If you’re cautious and would prefer to try the game out in demo mode before committing to it with real money, you certainly can do that. Our top rated casinos will let you play the Buffalo Slot game free in demo mode for as long as you like. Only when you feel ready to place a real money bet, switch to real money mode.
The traditional slot machine you’ll find in Vegas has big progressive jackpots. In 2021 a lucky winner won over $1 million in the Cannery Casino. The online version also has a progressive jackpot, and so do the majority of other Buffalo games, though they’re smaller than what you’ll find in land-based casinos.
💰 | Progressive? | No |
❔ | RTP | 94.85% |
📅 | Released | 2012 |
Just like any other slot game, Buffalo is a random game of chance. However, the game is set up so it is capable of paying really huge wins in the free spins game. So, the persistent player who triggers the free spins round multiple times will have a decent chance of winning big.
It’s easy to play the Buffalo slot, you simply come up with a total bet per spin that you’re happy with, and you’re good to go. Before you do that you must, of course, deposit money to the online casino where you wish to play.
All of our top-rated Aristocrat casinos let you play Buffalo free in demo mode until you’re ready to commit with real money. So, if you want to play in demo mode, simply follow our links and sign up with one of the casinos mentioned on this page. You’ll find the Buffalo slot in the lobby and will be able to play it in demo mode.
The Buffalo slot exists in both land-based and an online version. Las Vegas is full of various Buffalo slots by Aristocrat, so that would probably be the best place to play the land-based version of the game. As far as the online version is concerned, click one of the links to our recommended casinos.