Release the Bison
- 🎰Provider
- Pragmatic Play
- 📅Release date
- 2024
- 🎨Theme
- Дикий Запад / фронтир, охота за сокровищами, бизон-бык
- 📊RTP
- 96.54%
- ⚡Volatility
- High
- 💰Max win
- 3000x
- 📐Grid
- 5×4 · 20 фиксированных линий
- 🛒Bonus buy
- Yes
- 🪙Min bet
- 0,20 €
- 💸Max bet
- 240 €
- 🎮Demo
- Yes — free
- ⚙️Mechanics
- Roaming Wilds Wild Respins Guaranteed Wins Free Spins Increasing Multipliers Wheel Of Fortune Feature Buy
Release the Bison slot review
Dawn on the prairie, the dust from the night drive still hanging in the air — and suddenly the ground starts to rumble. A herd rolls out of the haze: horned, shaggy, in a foul mood. Over at Pragmatic Play they decided the bison shouldn’t be mere western scenery but the actual engine of the slot, and in Release the Bison it’s the cattle that haul all the math across the reels.
Without the poetry: the base build runs at 96.54% RTP, volatility is high, the grid is 5×4 over 20 fixed paylines, and the ceiling sits at 3,000x your bet. The headline feature is Wild Respins, where bison wilds roam the grid and tack on +1 to the multiplier every single round.
Why a bison here, when you could just pour out coins?
The idea is almost cheeky: instead of the usual hold&win with sticky coins, Pragmatic took the bison figure and made it run. The grid is an honest 5×4, twenty rigid lines, no Megaways and no clusters. By frame it’s an old-school slot, but with one wound-up mechanic that everything else orbits around.
The bison wild lands in the base like any other symbol — it substitutes, it completes lines. But the moment it gathers into a herd, the slot changes state: the calm pastoral turns into a corral where every round brings something. Thematically it’s still a frontier treasure hunt; by feel it’s a ride, not a meditative spinner.
What happens when the bison break loose?
The heart of the game is Wild Respins. It fires when 4 or more wilds land at once: every one of them turns into a “roamer” and hops to a random position after each respin, while the slot pays for whatever lands in between the jumps.
💡 How the herd builds the multiplier
The respin logic rests on three things at once:
- Each new wild adds another respin — the herd keeps extending its own lease on the reels;
- The overall multiplier climbs by +1 with every new bison, so the longer the corral runs, the fatter the final payout;
- Scatters that drop during the mode are collected (up to 5); reach 3+ and free spins begin, where a wheel of fortune hands out the spin count and a separate bison wild travels the grid dropping progressive multipliers.
A separate treat is the Guaranteed Win: a random dead spin in the base can be retroactively declared a winner, paying 10x–40x your bet out of thin air. There’s also a small gem bonus — collecting 3–5 gems lifts the multiplier up to x5 right in the base game. And yes, there’s a Bonus Buy for those who’d rather not wait for the herd to show up.
How much comes back, and where’s the catch hiding?
The base RTP of 96.54% sits right at today’s market midpoint, no complaints either way. Volatility is high (Pragmatic rates it max on its own scale), and you feel it: the bonus lands on average once every 262 spins, while the coveted 3,000x ceiling is an event with odds around 1 in 16 million. The overall hit frequency, though, is pleasant at 1 in 3.45 — small wins drip in regularly, which softens the wait for the big corral.
⚠️ Check the RTP version at your casino
Pragmatic ships the slot in three builds: 97.49%, 96.54% (the default headline figure) and a trimmed 95.48%. That’s almost two percentage points of spread, which adds up over a session. Open the game’s info panel before your first bet: if the version there is below the base, the slot simply pays out less — whether that trade is fine for you is your call to make.
What players like
- Roaming wilds with a rising multiplier — respins aren’t static, the grid lives from hop to hop;
- Guaranteed Win turns a dead spin into a 10x–40x plus — a rare bit of insurance against a total zero;
- High hit frequency at 1 in 3.45 — the base doesn’t go silent the way mean high-vol slots do;
- Collecting gems in the base lifts the multiplier up to x5, and free spins add a separate bison wild dropping progressive multipliers.
What to keep in mind
- The 3,000x ceiling is modest by top Pragmatic standards; next to the related Release the Kraken 2 the max is noticeably trimmed;
- Free spins are rare (1 in 262) — the main paying mode takes waiting, and the Bonus Buy isn’t there by accident;
- The 95.48% version at some casinos eats a full percentage point versus base — check before you bet.
Who should harness the bison, and who should ride around them?
| Player profile | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Loves “living” wilds and respin mechanics | 🟢 Yes | A roaming herd with a rising multiplier is exactly that |
| Wants regular small touches | 🟢 Probably yes | Hit Freq 1 in 3.45 keeps the balance ticking between bonuses |
| Chases five-figure multipliers | 🟠 Probably not | A 3,000x ceiling is on the modest side for a Pragmatic high-vol |
| Hates waiting long for the main bonus | 🟡 Caution | Free spins at 1 in 262 — either patience or the Bonus Buy and its cost |
⚡ Is Release the Bison worth playing?
Reach for Release the Bison when you want motion rather than a static hold&win: a respin mode with bison on the loose and a multiplier creeping up round after round is its finest scene. But ride past it if you’re after records — a 3,000x ceiling on a high-volatility 2024 Pragmatic title looks restrained, and there are greedier slots out there for the big multipliers.
Game screenshots
Frequently asked questions about Release the Bison
What is the RTP of Release the Bison?
The base build returns 96.54%, right at the market midpoint. Pragmatic Play also ships two other versions: a higher 97.49% and a trimmed 95.48% used by some casinos. The actual figure is always shown in the game’s info panel.
How volatile is Release the Bison?
Volatility is high — the maximum on Pragmatic’s scale. Big payouts cluster in the respin mode and free spins, but the hit frequency is pleasant: a win lands roughly once every 3.45 spins, so the base doesn’t sit in silence.
What is the maximum win in Release the Bison?
The ceiling is 3,000x your bet. For a high-volatility Pragmatic slot that’s restrained, and the odds of hitting the max are around 1 in 16 million spins.
How does the Wild Respins mode work?
When 4 or more wilds land, respins begin: every bison wild becomes a “roamer” and hops to new positions after each spin. Each new bison adds a respin and lifts the overall multiplier by +1, while collected scatters (3+) trigger free spins.
What is the Guaranteed Win in this slot?
It’s a base-game feature: a random dead spin can be turned into a 10x–40x win. A small bit of insurance against a completely empty spin — the money appears out of nowhere.
Is there a free demo of Release the Bison?
Yes, the slot is available in demo mode on play chips — you can feel the respin pace and the herd’s behaviour without risking money. A Bonus Buy to purchase the bonus is also offered in the paid version.