Which Buffalo King has the highest RTP, and does it matter?

If you want the short answer first, here it is. On its own game pages, Pragmatic Play prints a return to player of 96.52% for Buffalo King Megaways, 96.06% for the original Buffalo King and 96.02% for Buffalo King Untamed Megaways. On paper the Megaways release from 2021 is highest and the Untamed edition from 2024 is lowest. What that ordering can and cannot tell you is the real subject of this article.

What RTP actually is

Return to player is a long-run figure. It expresses the share of all money wagered that a game is designed to pay back to players collectively over a very large number of rounds. A figure of 96.52% means that, across the long run and across all players, the game is set up to return 96.52 units for every 100 staked, with the rest kept by the operator. It is not a forecast for tonight's session and it says nothing about the next fifty spins.

One consequence is easy to forget. The distance between the printed number and 100% is the house edge. For the three games that distance is 3.48, 3.94 and 3.98 percentage points. All three are positive, and none of the numbers suggests you will come out ahead.

Comparing the three figures

The gap between the highest and the lowest is 0.50 percentage points. Across a hypothetical 100,000 units of total staking, that is 500 units over the very long run. It sounds weighty until you consider that no single player wagers anything like that amount in one sitting, and that the outcome of any real session is dominated by variance. The difference exists in the mathematical sense. In practice it is almost impossible to feel.

It is also fair to say what we do not know. The supplier gives no breakdown of how the base game and the bonus each contribute to the return, no hit frequency and no standard-deviation figure for these slots. We will not invent any.

Bigger ways-to-win numbers are not a higher RTP

The headline number that catches the eye on these games is the count of ways to win: 4096 for the original, 200,704 for the Megaways release, up to 86,436 for Untamed. It is natural to assume that more ways means more return. It does not. Ways to win describe the geometry of the grid, meaning how many routes there are to form a winning line. RTP describes how much of the stake the whole system pays back. The Megaways game has by far the biggest ways figure and also the highest printed return, but the Untamed edition has more ways than the original and a lower printed return than the original. The two numbers simply do not move together.

The same holds for the size of the free spins prize. The original can award up to 100 free spins and the Megaways game up to 22, yet the printed returns do not follow that order either. Treat each number as describing a different property of the game.

The in-game screen has the last word

A figure on a studio's page describes the game as the studio presents it. The version running in a particular lobby can be configured by the operator, and some operators offer a game at a different certified setting from the headline one. For that reason, the only percentage that applies to your session is the one shown in the game's own information or help screen. Open it before you stake and compare it with what you expected.

If the screen shows a lower number than the one printed here, that is not an error on our side. It reflects how that operator has set up the title, and you are entitled to weigh it when deciding where to play. If the screen shows no figure at all, ask the operator's support team to confirm it in writing.

Higher RTP does not mean a better session

Several things shape how a session feels more than half a percentage point of return.

• Variance. Two games with nearly identical returns can behave very differently. One may pay small amounts often, and another may pay rarely in large pieces. The supplier calls the Megaways release highly volatile, and says nothing numeric about the others.
• Your bankroll and stake. A large stake relative to your budget shortens your stay, whatever the percentage.
• Session length. The longer you play, the more your results are drawn toward the long-run figure, which for these games sits below 100%.
• Purchase options. The 2021 release lets players buy the Free Game for 100 times the bet where it is offered. Buying a feature changes the shape of your spending and does not alter the house edge.
• Enjoyment. A game that suits your temperament is worth more to most players than a marginal difference in a number they cannot observe.

A higher figure lowers the expected cost per unit staked. It does not protect you from losing, and it does not make a game safer.

Why RTP is not a plan

People sometimes treat the highest printed return as a reason to play one game for longer, or to chase a bonus round in the hope of catching up. Neither idea is supported by the numbers. RTP is an average over a huge number of outcomes, and each spin is independent of the last. No approach to staking, timing or version choice turns a figure below 100% into a profit, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing or selling something.

A note on rounding and comparison

All three figures are printed to two decimal places, so the comparison above is exact only as far as the studio chooses to show it. A difference of a few hundredths of a point is smaller than most people can reason about, and it is smaller still than the variation you will see between two evenings at the same game. Use the numbers to understand direction, not to make promises to yourself about what the next hour will bring.

How to use this information sensibly

1. Note the printed figure for each version, 96.52%, 96.06% and 96.02%, as a rough guide to the studio's intent.
2. Open the game you plan to play and read its information screen. That number is the one that counts.
3. Choose the game for its feel and features, not for a gap of a few hundredths of a percent.
4. Set a limit on deposits and on time before you begin.
5. Stop when the limit is reached, whatever the result.

In summary, the Megaways release carries the highest printed return and the Untamed edition the lowest, with half a point between them. That is a fair thing to know and a poor reason to deposit. The house edge is built into all three.

Related versions

• Buffalo King Megaways: 96.52% RTP
• Buffalo King: 96.06% RTP
• Buffalo King Untamed Megaways: 96.02% RTP, 10,000× max win

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