Walk into any Aussie pub or club and the loudest bank of machines is usually a Link pokies bank. Lightning Link started it in 2015, Dragon Link took it to Asian themes in 2017, and a whole family of spin-offs followed.
This hub sorts them out: what each game is, how they differ, and which one is not actually an Aristocrat game at all (looking at you, Dragon Train). Every game has its own page if you want the deep dive.
What makes a pokie part of the Link family?
Two things. First, the Hold & Spin bonus: land enough special bonus symbols (six or more in the classic versions) and they lock in place while you get a short run of respins. Every new bonus symbol that lands locks too and resets the respin count. When the respins run out, you collect the values on the screen.
Second, the linked jackpots. In most Link games a bank of machines shares tiered jackpots, typically Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. Some bonus symbols carry a jackpot instead of a credit value. Exactly how the jackpots are set up, and what they are worth, depends on the venue and the version.
The full mechanics are in Hold & Spin explained, and the words you will hear on the floor are in our pokie glossary.
Lightning Link: where it all started
Aristocrat unveiled Lightning Link in June 2015. It is not one game but a family of themes sharing the same Hold & Spin core, from ocean pearls to Egyptian gold. Aristocrat says the family grew to 16 varieties, 12 of them for the US market.
Each theme has its own free games feature, but the reason people crowd around a Lightning Link bank is the Hold & Spin and the shared Grand. Product Madness also runs an official free-to-play app, covered on our Lightning Link Casino page.
Dragon Link: the Asian-themed follow-up
Dragon Link launched in 2017 with four games: Autumn Moon, Golden Century, Happy & Prosperous and Panda Magic. Genghis Khan, Spring Festival, Peace and Long Life and others joined later. The engine is the same Hold & Spin idea, dressed in reds and golds, with glowing orbs as the bonus symbols.
Dragon Link was a hit in the US as well as at home, and it later picked up a newer sibling. Phoenix Link premiered at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas in October 2024 as a companion to Dragon Link. It is covered on our new releases hub.
Buffalo Link: the American crossover
Buffalo Link mashed together Aristocrat's two biggest brands: the Buffalo franchise that had ruled US floors since 2008, and the Hold & Spin mechanic from Lightning Link. It was released in the US in March 2021 on the MarsX Portrait cabinet.
It was built for the US market first, so check with your local venue before you go hunting for it. If you want the original herd, see our Buffalo page.
Lightning Cash and Dragon Cash: the standalone cousins
Lightning Cash and Dragon Cash take the Hold & Spin feel and package it in a simpler, standalone form. Aristocrat describes Lightning Cash as the same style of play as the original Lightning Link with more denomination choices, free games, retriggers and Hold & Spin bonuses, all in a "what you see is what you get" format.
Dragon Cash does the same with Asian themes, a premium Hold & Spin bonus and scalable prizes across denominations. Think of the Cash games as Link without the big shared jackpot network. We could not pin down exact launch years for either, so we have kept dates vague in the table below.
Also in the wider family: Dollar Storm, which debuted in California in September 2019 and borrowed ideas from both Lightning Link and Dragon Link.
What about Dragon Train?
Here is the twist. Dragon Train looks like it belongs in this list, but it was made by a rival manufacturer, not Aristocrat. Aristocrat took that company to court in 2024, alleging its confidential maths had been used to build the game. A US court ordered sales of Dragon Train stopped in September 2024.
In January 2026 the case was settled. The maker agreed to pay Aristocrat US$127.5 million, acknowledged that a former employee had used certain Aristocrat maths information in developing the game, and agreed to stop commercialising Dragon Train worldwide. We include it here because plenty of punters confuse it with Dragon Link. Full story on our history page.
Link pokies compared
A quick side-by-side. Jackpot setups vary by venue and version, so treat the last column as a guide.
| Game | First seen | Theme | Core feature | Jackpots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Link | 2015 | Mixed themes (ocean, Egypt, Asia, tiki and more) | Hold & Spin plus free games | Mini, Minor, Major, Grand (linked) |
| Dragon Link | 2017 | Asian (Autumn Moon, Golden Century, Panda Magic and more) | Hold & Spin with orb bonus symbols | Mini, Minor, Major, Grand (linked) |
| Buffalo Link | 2021 (US) | American wildlife | Hold & Spin in the Buffalo style | Tiered jackpots |
| Lightning Cash | After Lightning Link | Lightning Link style | Free games and Hold & Spin, more denomination choices | Scalable prizes, "what you see is what you get" |
| Dragon Cash | Around 2020 | Asian | Hold & Spin and free games, multi-denomination | Scalable prizes |
| Dragon Train | Not Aristocrat | Asian | Rival Hold & Spin game, withdrawn worldwide | n/a |
Return to player is set by the venue within state limits, so we do not quote figures here.
Which one should you try?
If you have never played a Link game, start with Lightning Link. It is the original and the easiest to find. If you like Asian themes and a bit more theatre, Dragon Link is the step up. Buffalo Link is for Buffalo fans who want the Hold & Spin twist, and the Cash games suit anyone who prefers simpler standalone play.
Want to try before you visit a venue? The official social casino apps carry several Link titles for free with virtual coins. See free Aristocrat pokies. And remember that jackpots are rare by design. If it stops being fun, see our play-safely page.
