The initial series of games from 2001-2006 operated on a single gun platform and allowed four players to compete round robin style through various treks and bonus stages. It wasn't till Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari that the two gun platform emerged allowing head-to-head competition in addition to a variety of new animals and critters to hunt.

No matter the version, the game centers around a player's ability to shoot up to three bucks a stage without shooting a doe or female animal, thus ending the player's turn prematurely. Later versions such as Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari also allow for critter shooting and trophy hunting (Safari only).

Stern Pinball also released a pinball game based on this theme in 2010.

Starting in September 2007, Big Buck Hunter Pro game cabinets could be modified to be on the CoinUp Network. Being on the CoinUp Network allowed the games to offer a number of extra features, called 'Trophy Club Features'. There are a number of ways to tell if a game cabinet is connected to the CoinUp Network.

Big Buck Hunter game cabinets that have been connected to the CoinUp Network offer several new kinds of gameplay to the player.

When starting a Big Buck Hunter game that has been connected to the CoinUp Network, one of the Game Selection Screens will ask the player if they want their game to be a 'Trophy Club' game. This means all the stats of the game will be recorded into the player's permanent player account. Players will also be shown current national high scores, personal bests, as well as scores of their friends (via their Hunting Party). Trophy Club games cost the player an additional $0.50 to play. Once players select to play a Trophy Club game, they will be asked to login to their Player Account. Logging in to their player count consists of entering a 10-digit pin (the game suggests using your cellphone number for ease of remembering) and your birthdate (MM/DD). Player's scores, stats, rankings, and other information are available online at www.bigbuckhunter.com.

Big Buck Hunter game cabinets that have been connected to the CoinUp Network can support local and national tournaments. If a game cabinet is participating in a current tournament, the 'Tournaments' button will appear on the first Game Selection Screen. After selecting the Tournament button, the player can scroll thru all tournaments currently playing on that game cabinet. The Big Buck Hunter National Tournament runs monthly (usually from the 7th to the 27th of each month). Players can find out about current tournament, prizes, participating locations and follow their tournament ranking at the Big Buck Hunter Website.

Big Buck Hunter Players can form groups called 'Hunting Parties' via the Big Buck Hunter website. They can chose a name, slogan, and logo for their Hunting Parties. From then on, anytime they play a Trophy Club or Tournament game, they will be able to view their friends scores while they play. They can compare their scores at each site against their friends (pull the pump on the Site Select screen to view your friends scores).

If playing a Trophy Club game, players can unlock hidden gameplay modes. After registering, at the 'Welcome to Trophy Club' screen that shows your stats and scores, hold the pump + trigger while pointing the gun at the screen. This will bring up an interface to play in Hidden Modes. Different Hidden Modes can be unlocked based on number of games played. Current Hidden Modes available:

Tournament game scores and Trophy Club Hunter Hero scores will not be accepted if a hidden mode has been selected.