Looking for death-defying fun? Got a need for speed? Then you’ve come to the right place because with close to 4,000 roller coasters in the world, how do you know which ones to try? We’ve reviewed the best of the best and compiled this list of the most thrilling, frightening and totally sick roller coasters around the globe.
Intimidator 305, Kings Dominion, VA
At 90 mph this is the most thrilling roller coaster ride on the East Coast. The 300-tall first drop has an 85 degree angle. It was voted “Best New Roller Coaster of 2010” by Amusement Today.
Rougarou
As soon as you’re strapped in, the floor drops out and the coaster roars to life as your feet dangle in mid-air 145 ft in the air. Rougarou climbs a steep first hill and then goes into hairpin turns and loops at 60 mph. There are 4 inversions altogether. Ride time is a remarkable 2 min and 30 seconds.
Tower Of Terror 2, Australia
The ride starts with an eerie silence that lasts for just milliseconds before the car blasts off rocketing out of of a 675 ft tunnel up to 100 mph in seven seconds flat. Riders soar 328 ft into the atmosphere for several seconds of stomach-churning weightlessness before coming back to earth face first dropping 38.
Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point, OH
Put the pedal to the medal, turn it up a few notches and you’ve got the insane Top Thrill Dragster. Riders are launched from zero to 120 mph in the blink of an eye (120 MPH) on a race track climbing 420 ft in the air and then they enjoy a 400 ft drop back down.
Mumbo Jumbo, Flamingo Land, UK
While rising 98 feet in the air, Mumbo Jumbo’s 112° vertical drop saw it enter the record books as the “world’s steepest roller coaster made from steel”, a position it held until 2011. Riders can pull in excess of 4g, a force close to those experienced by jet fighter pilots, providing a ride that is high speed packed with twists, turns and 2 full inversions.
T Express, Everland Resort, South Korea
If you visit South Korea, then try the T-Express roller coaster. It is the second steepest wooden roller coaster in the world, at 77 degrees. The ride features several high-speed turns and airtime hills with a top speed of 64 mph. It also has a mid-course brake run.
Kingda-Ka, Six Flags, NJ
This is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the US. It takes riders from 0 to 128 miles per hour in an believable 3.5 seconds. Then you go 90° straight up, 45 stories in the sky. And once you get to the top you’ll be plummeting right back down in a 270-degree spiral. You’ll top it off with a 129-foot camel hump.
Colossus, Thorpe Park, UK
Colossus was the world’s first roller coaster with ten inversions. It retained its title of having the most inversions on any other roller coaster in the world until The Smiler took the record in 2013. Colossus is a steel roller coaster that climbs 98 ft in the air with a drop of 97 ft. Top speed is 45 mph.
Formula Rossa, United Arab Emirates
This ride is faster than a F1™ car and requires you to wear goggles to protect your eyes as you are blasted 149.1 mph in 4.9 seconds on the world’s fastest rollercoaster. After scaling heart-racing heights of 171 ft and with an adrenalin rush of 4.8Gs, you’ll cross the finish feeling like a true race car champion.
Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima, Japan
Steel Dragon 2000 is a steel giga roller coaster which was the tallest (at 318 ft) and fastest (at 95 mph) full-circuit roller coaster in the world when it debuted in 2000. However, these records were subsequently lost to Top Thrill Dragster and Dodonpa respectively but it remains the longest roller coaster at 8,133 ft. After the lift hill there is an initial drop of 306.8 feet and a 252 foot camelback hill. The train subsequently rises up and into the figure-eight shaped helix.
Gravity Max, Lihpao Land, Taiwan
Many say this is the scariest roller coaster experience as the ride goes up 114 feet before the track “breaks,” flipping the car down 90 degrees downwards at 56 mph and dropping about 13 stories. It’s the world’s first tilting roller coaster with a 90 degree drop.
Full Throttle, Six Flags, CA
Just looking at the massive 160-foot vertical loop can make your heart pound. Then try the 70 mph speeds with not one but three separate launches. So you go from 0 to 70 mph like it was nothing. The second time you launch at this rapid speed it’ll be backwards: that’s right, you’ll come to a slamming stop inside the tunnel, and you’ll be thrust back out, in reverse.
Wicked Twister
This is currently the tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world. Get ready to stop, drop and scream until your throat hurts. This coaster shoots you forward so quickly, you can barely see the track in front of you. The 72 mph feels more like a hundred and at 215 feet in the air with a 450-degree twist, you’ll wish you never left the ground. But once the ride finishes you’ll probably do it again.
Takabisha, Fuji-Q Highland, Japan
This ride features the steepest vertical drop of any ride in the world since its opening in July 2011. The stomach-flipping Takabisha ride includes seven major twists over 3280 ft of track and a nerve-jangling drop of 141 ft with a 121° freefall. The 112-second ride reaches speeds of 62 mph.
El Toro, Six Flags, NJ
Ride him up nearly 19 stories to face the first terrifying drop of 176 feet. At a 76 degree angle, that would be the steepest drop of any wooden-style roller coaster in the country. You will zoom through the course at a speedy 70 miles per hour, over a series of insane hills designed for maximum airtime. El Toro was voted the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World in an Internet Coaster Poll.
Sky Scream, Holiday Park, Germany
Sky Scream is filled with zombies and vampires engineered to scare you and spice things up. The steel roller coaster spans a track distance of 863 ft, with a maximum speed of 62 mph and reaches a height of 150 ft.
The Ultra Twister, Nagashima, Japan
Ultra Twister is one of the few ultratwister models operating in Japan. This one will make you feel like a human corkscrew. You’ll go 97 ft in the air and then experience an 85 degree drop. Even though the top speed is only 44 mph, there are 3 inversions to ensure you get the full twisting experience.
Hades 360, Mt. Olympus, WI
With speeds of 70 mph, a drop height of 140 ft, and a 360-degree loop, this is the world’s first upside-down wooden roller coaster, with the world’s longest underground tunnel.
Shivering Timbers, Michigan’s Adventure, MI
With a half mile out, and then a half mile back, Shivering Timbers is the longest, fastest wooden roller coaster in Michigan. Its huge wooden track is filled with breathless drops, stomach-churning lifts, and hair-raising turns. It reaches a speed of 65 mph, a height of 125 feet and a 122-foot first drop at a 55-degree angle. Truly one of the best night ride experiences in the world.
Superman: Escape From Krypton, Six Flags, CA
Is this the ultimate challenge? 1,315 feet of track that bends straight up into the sky 415 feet high and shoots riders from 0 to 100 miles per hour in seven seconds flat—in reverse. Riders are totally vertical when they experience utter weightlessness for 6.5 seconds then slam back down the coaster at 92 miles per hour. Do this on an empty stomach.
Fury 325, Carowinds, NC
Fury 325 is North America’s longest steel coaster which is over 1.25 miles long. The average ride time is 3.25 minutes and crosses both North and South Carolina state lines. Fury 325 riders ride to a height of 325 feet, following a dramatic 81-degree drop. Then race into a massive 190-foot tall barrel turn and a high-speed S-curve reaching speeds of up to 95 mph. There is also a 91-degree over-banked horseshoe turn, with a dive underneath a pedestrian bridge, a high speed banked curve, camel back hill and an intense double maneuver. Grab a beer when it’s over.
Dodonpa, Fuji-Q Highland, Japan
Using a compressed air launch, Dodonpa goes from 0 to 107 mph in just under two seconds. It races up and down a 170-foot top hat tower at 90 degrees. While the whole ride lasts 55 seconds it feels like a lot longer when you are riding through the track watching your life flash before your eyes.