Arby's Big Game Burger Review: Is The New Beef, Venison, And Elk Blend A Winner?

When it comes to meats, unless you've been living in a bubble from advertising since 2014, you probably are well aware that at Arby's, as it proudly boasts in a super deep voice, "We Have The Meats." A quick glance at the menu will confirm its wide selection of "meats," which runs from roast beef to corned, chicken to turkey, and even gyro meat. In select locations in 2016, it even gave venison sandwiches a go, followed by elk and duck. At the time of its launch, Arby's Chief Marketing Officer Rob Lynch said in a statement (via NBC News), "Hunters hunt the meats, and we have the meats, so it makes sense for us to connect with them and offer a sandwich that they can't get at any other restaurant chain." Now, in the fall of 2023, Arby's has gone grand with a new burger idea that not only has beef in it but is also blended with equal parts venison and elk: the Big Game Burger.

Using the football season as a field of vision and a way to be both serious and punny at the same time, Arby's is unleashing the Big Game Burger to hungry fans, and not just at a few select locations this time, but rather locations across the country. How will it play this time, now that it's not only aimed at hunters but gatherers too? We saddled up, wore a 10-gallon hat, headed into our neighborhood Arby's, and put our game face on. Here is that roundup of that BIG chew and review...

Unwrapping the silver foil unleashes a handful of a sandwich that certainly brings the "Big" promised in the Big Game Burger. The Big Game Burger's main smell lies in its drippy cherry steak sauce. Dipping our pinky into a dab of the liquidy sauce, and then bringing it to our tongue reveals a less vinegary bold take on A1. While there is no hint of cherry shining through, it does have a sweetness that gives it the lean of almost being a sweet barbecue sauce.

The dual white mild Swiss cheeses were both stringy and strong physically, and acted as a glue between the wrapper and the burger itself, appearing as if Spider-Man had spun a web around it during preparation. Both the ridged pickle slices and crispy onions were fresh and crunchy, with the latter tasting like enlarged versions of French's Crispy Fried Onion straws.

The burger patty does smell a bit gamey on its exterior, but only when approached up close. The burgundy browned outside has an odd char taste to it, but once you break that barrier to reach its medium-cooked innards, it's an excellent chew to take on, bite after bite. If one isn't overly familiar with venison or elk meat, the Big Game Burger will taste mostly like a beef hamburger, but one unlike you've ever tasted before, and that's a really, really good thing.

The Big Game Burger is a blended patty made of 34% venison, 33% elk, and 33% ground beef. Since Arby's does not use grills for cooking, the burger patty is actually fried in a deep fryer on site. Under a toasted brioche bun, the burger is covered with melted Swiss cheese and Big Eye Swiss cheese, sweet garlic and dill pickles, and crispy onion strings. A dark cherry steak sauce is then drizzled over the top. The product contains wheat, soy, milk, egg, and possibly sesame.

Everything about the Big Game Burger is big, including its serving weight of 272 grams, and all the key rungs on the nutritional chart. It chimes in with 718 calories, 35 grams of fat, 119 milligrams of cholesterol, 1109 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of total carbohydrates (although you'll get 3 back thanks to dietary fiber), 15 grams of sugar, and in one positive note, 48 grams of protein.

The Big Game Burger can be hunted down at participating U.S. locations and ordered at the counter or through the drive-thru where available. You can also order through Arby's app and website, which allows one to pick an advance time and even date for pick-up, as well as via food delivery services.

As the saying goes on Arby's website, the Big Game Burger is "here for a good time, not a long time," so don't delay before it hibernates at some point in the near future. At Arby's locations that don't serve breakfast, the Big Game Burger is available anytime during regular business hours.

The Big Game Burger can be ordered a la carte or as a combo meal. Standard combo meals include a soft drink and Arby's signature curly fries, although they can be swapped out for jalapeño bites, mozzarella sticks, or crinkle fries.

Any of the included ingredients can be removed, but not much can be added to it besides requesting packets of Horsey Sauce, Arby's Sauce, or ketchup. One nice option that not many people may know about is that one can ask for the burger to be cooked well-done.

While Arby's might be a fast food company, it doesn't exactly have rivals it needs to keep up with. This chain does its own thing and fans keep coming back for more of its very original offerings. As it has "the meats," a burger comprising of three different kinds, including venison and elk, sounds rather exotic on paper. However, it feels commonplace now, and most welcome to the table, thanks to Arby's fantastic new Big Game Burger.

The Big Game Burger keeps the large boasting promises its name is shouting, but it could have easily gotten away with being called the "Big Game-Changing Burger." Now that it's out of the wild woods and into stores, we hope its awesomeness catches on with other tasters out there so it sticks around beyond its limited time.