Looking along Formula Rossa's launch track where a train is being launched
Formula Rossa, the world's fastest roller coaster.

Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. Early iterations during the 16th and 17th centuries, which were popular in Russia, were wooden sleds that took riders down large slides made from ice. The first roller coasters that attached a train to a wooden track appeared in France in the early 1800s.[1] Although wooden roller coasters are still being produced, steel roller coasters, introduced in the mid-20th-century, became more common and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.[2]

Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest rides to attract thrill seekers and boost overall park attendance.[3] Ranked by height, speed, length, and number of inversions, roller coasters often became the focal point for competing parks. Computer-simulated models led to new innovations that produced more intense thrills while improving quality and durability.[4] The debut of Magnum XL-200 in 1989 at Cedar Point introduced the first complete-circuit roller coaster to exceed 200 feet (61 m),[5][6] marking a pivot point in the industry.[4] The new era, sometimes referred to as the Coaster Wars,[4] saw increasing competition as parks sought to be the latest to break world records, with some only lasting a year or less.[7]

The pace of competition eventually slowed, however.[4][7] Record holder Kingda Ka, the tallest coaster in the world at 456 feet (139 m),[8] has held onto its record since 2005.[4][7] Other notable coasters include Formula Rossa, the world's fastest, which reaches a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h),[9] Steel Dragon 2000, the world's longest, measuring 8,133 feet (2,479 m),[10] and The Smiler which features fourteen inversions.[11]

Key

Key
Key Meaning
1 Record holder
** Under construction
* Still exists but not operating

Height rankings

Tallest steel roller coasters

Tallest steel roller coasters[12]
Rank Name Park Country Height Manufacturer Record held
1 Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 456 ft (139 m) Intamin May 2005 – present
* Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point  United States 420 ft (130 m) Intamin/Zamperla May 2003 – May 2005
2 Superman: Escape from Krypton[note 1] Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States 415 ft (126 m) Intamin March 1997 – May 2003
3 Red Force Ferrari Land  Spain 367.3 ft (112.0 m) Intamin —
4 Fury 325 Carowinds  United States 325 ft (99 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land  Japan 318.3 ft (97.0 m) Morgan —
6 Millennium Force Cedar Point  United States 310 ft (94 m) Intamin —
7 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland  Canada 306 ft (93 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
8 Intimidator 305 Kings Dominion  United States 305 ft (93 m) Intamin —
9 Orion Kings Island  United States 287 ft (87 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
10 Thunder Dolphin Tokyo Dome City  Japan 262.5 ft (80.0 m) Intamin —

Longest steel roller coaster drops

Longest steel roller coaster drops[13]
Rank Name Park Country Drop length Manufacturer Record held
** Falcon's Flight Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia 519 ft (158 m) Intamin
1 Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 418 ft (127 m) Intamin May 2005 – present
* Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point  United States 400 ft (120 m) Intamin/Zamperla May 2003 – May 2005
2 Red Force Ferrari Land  Spain ~345 ft (105 m)[note 2] Intamin —
3 Superman: Escape from Krypton[note 1] Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States 328.1 ft (100.0 m) Intamin March 1997 – May 2003
4 Fury 325 Carowinds  United States 320 ft (98 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land  Japan 306.8 ft (93.5 m) D. H. Morgan Manufacturing —
6 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland  Canada 306 ft (93 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
7 Intimidator 305 Kings Dominion  United States 300 ft (91 m) Intamin —
Millennium Force Cedar Point  United States 300 ft (91 m) Intamin —
Orion Kings Island  United States 300 ft (91 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
10 Hyperion Energylandia  Poland 269 ft (82 m) Intamin —

Tallest wooden roller coasters

Tallest wooden roller coasters[note 3][16]
Rank Name Park Country Height Manufacturer Record held
1 T Express Everland  South Korea 183.8 ft (56.0 m) Intamin June 2009 – present
Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park  Sweden 183.8 ft (56.0 m) Rocky Mountain Construction June 2016 – present
3 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 181 ft (55 m) Intamin —
4 Goliath Six Flags Great America  United States 165 ft (50 m) Rocky Mountain Construction —
5 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park  Germany 164 ft (50 m) Intamin —
6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari  United States 159 ft (48 m) The Gravity Group —
7 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park  United States 136 ft (41 m) The Gravity Group —
8 Wodan Timbur Coaster Europa-Park  Germany 131.2 ft (40.0 m) Great Coasters International —
9 Le Monstre La Ronde  Canada 130.9 ft (39.9 m) Martin & Vleminckx July 1985 – March 1990
10 American Eagle Six Flags Great America  United States 127 ft (39 m) Intamin May 1981 – July 1985

Longest wooden roller coaster drops

Longest wooden roller coaster drops[note 3][17]
Rank Name Park Country Drop length Manufacturer Record held
1 Goliath Six Flags Great America  United States 180 ft (55 m) Rocky Mountain Construction June 2014 – present
2 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 176 ft (54 m) Intamin June 2009 – June 2014
3 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City  United States 162 ft (49 m) Rocky Mountain Construction —
4 Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park  Sweden 160.8 ft (49.0 m) Rocky Mountain Construction —
5 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park  Germany 159.1 ft (48.5 m) Intamin —
6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari  United States 154 ft (47 m) The Gravity Group —
7 T Express Everland  South Korea 150.9 ft (46.0 m) Intamin —
8 The Boss Six Flags St. Louis  United States 150 ft (46 m) Custom Coasters International —
9 American Eagle Six Flags Great America  United States 147 ft (45 m) Intamin May 1981 – May 1991
10 The Beast Kings Island  United States 141 ft (43 m) Kings Island April 1979 – May 1981
View from the ground up the 456-foot-tall structure of Kingda Ka
Kingda Ka, the tallest roller coaster in the world.
The out-and-back layout of El Toro with Kingda Ka in the background
Among the tallest wooden coasters in the world, El Toro also features one of the longest drops.
An overview of the station and lift hill of Colossos at Heide Park
Colossos of Heide Park in Germany, one of the tallest wooden coasters in the world.

Speed rankings

Fastest steel roller coasters

Fastest steel roller coasters[18]
Rank Name Park Country Speed Manufacturer Record held
** Falcon's Flight Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia 155.3 mph (249.9 km/h) Intamin
1 Formula Rossa Ferrari World Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates 149.1 mph (240.0 km/h) Intamin November 2010 – present
2 Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 128 mph (206 km/h) Intamin May 2005 – November 2010
* Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point  United States 120 mph (190 km/h) Intamin May 2003 – May 2005
3 Red Force Ferrari Land  Spain 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) Intamin —
* Do-Dodonpa Fuji-Q Highland  Japan 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) S&S December 2001 – May 2003
4 Superman: Escape from Krypton[note 1] Six Flags Magic Mountain  United States 100 mph (160 km/h) Intamin March 1997 – December 2001
* Ring Racer Nürburgring  Germany 99.4 mph (160.0 km/h) S&S —
5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land  Japan 95 mph (153 km/h) Morgan —
Fury 325 Carowinds  United States 95 mph (153 km/h) Bolliger & Mabillard —
7 Millennium Force Cedar Point  United States 93 mph (150 km/h) Intamin —
8 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland  Canada 92 mph (148 km/h) Bolliger & Mabillard —
9 Orion Kings Island  United States 91 mph (146 km/h) Bolliger & Mabillard —

Fastest wooden roller coasters

Fastest wooden roller coasters[note 3][note 4][20]
Rank Name Park Country Speed Manufacturer Record held
1 Goliath Six Flags Great America  United States 72 mph (116 km/h) Rocky Mountain Construction June 2014 – June 2016
September 2020 – present
2 Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park  Sweden 71.5 mph (115.1 km/h) Rocky Mountain Construction —
3 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure  United States 70 mph (110 km/h) Intamin June 2009 – June 2014
4 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park  Germany 68.4 mph (110.1 km/h) Intamin —
5 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City  United States 68 mph (109 km/h) Rocky Mountain Construction —
6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari  United States 67 mph (108 km/h) The Gravity Group —
7 The Boss Six Flags St. Louis  United States 66.3 mph (106.7 km/h) Custom Coasters International April 2000 – May 2000
8 American Eagle Six Flags Great America  United States 66 mph (106 km/h) Intamin May 1981 – April 2000
9 The Beast Kings Island  United States 64.8 mph (104.3 km/h) Kings Island April 1979 – May 1981
10 T Express Everland  South Korea 64.6 mph (104.0 km/h) Intamin —
A train launching along Formula Rossa's launch track
Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi, the fastest roller coaster in the world.
A train ascending American Eagle's lift hill
American Eagle opened in 1981 as the fastest roller coaster in the world.
View of the station, lift hill, and other ride elements on The Voyage
The Voyage, one of the fastest wooden coasters in the world.

Length rankings

Longest steel roller coasters

Longest steel roller coasters[note 5][22]
Rank Name Park Country Length Manufacturer Record held
** Falcon's Flight Six Flags Qiddiya  Saudi Arabia 13,944 ft (4,250 m) Intamin
1 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land  Japan 8,133 ft (2,479 m) D. H. Morgan Manufacturing August 2000 – present
2 Formula Rossa Ferrari World Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates 6,805 ft (2,074 m) Intamin —
3 Fujiyama Fuji-Q Highland  Japan 6,709 ft (2,045 m) TOGO —
4 Fury 325 Carowinds  United States 6,602 ft (2,012 m) Bolliger & Mabillard —
5 Millennium Force Cedar Point  United States 6,595 ft (2,010 m) Intamin —
6 Incredicoaster Disney California Adventure  United States 6,072 ft (1,851 m) Intamin —
* Desperado Buffalo Bill's  United States 5,843 ft (1,781 m) Arrow Dynamics —
7 Steel Vengeance Cedar Point  United States 5,740 ft (1,750 m) Rocky Mountain Construction —
8 Mamba Worlds of Fun  United States 5,600 ft (1,700 m) D. H. Morgan Manufacturing —
Steel Force Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom  United States 5,600 ft (1,700 m) D. H. Morgan Manufacturing —
10 Superman El Último Escape Six Flags México  Mexico 5,577.4 ft (1,700.0 m) D. H. Morgan Manufacturing —
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Epcot  United States 5,577.4 ft (1,700.0 m) Vekoma —


Longest wooden roller coasters

Longest wooden roller coasters[23]
Rank Name Park Country Length Manufacturer Record held
1 The Beast Kings Island  United States 7,361 ft (2,244 m) Kings Island April 1979 – present
2 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari  United States 6,442 ft (1,964 m) The Gravity Group —
3 T Express Everland  South Korea 5,383.8 ft (1,641.0 m) Intamin —
4 Shivering Timbers Michigan's Adventure  United States 5,383 ft (1,641 m) Custom Coasters International —
5 Jupiter Kijima Amusement Park  Japan 5,249 ft (1,600 m) Intamin —
6 Python in Bamboo Forest Nanchang Wanda Theme Park  China 5,111 ft (1,558 m) Great Coasters International —
7 Wood Coaster Knight Valley  China 4,817 ft (1,468 m) Great Coasters International —
8 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park  United States 4,746 ft (1,447 m) The Gravity Group —
9 Boulder Dash Lake Compounce  United States 4,725 ft (1,440 m) Custom Coasters International —
10 American Eagle Six Flags Great America  United States 4,650 ft (1,420 m) Intamin —
Steel Dragon 2000 from outside Nagashima Spa Land's boundary
Steel Dragon 2000, the longest roller coaster in the world.

Inversion rankings

This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.

Steel roller coasters

Most inversions on a steel roller coaster[24]
Rank Name Park Country Inversions Manufacturer Record held
1 The Smiler Alton Towers  United Kingdom 14 Gerstlauer May 2013 – present
** Eleventh Roller Coaster Great Xingdong Tourist World  China 11 Hebei Zhongye —
2 10 Inversion Roller Coaster Chimelong Paradise  China 10 Intamin February 2006 – May 2013
Altair Cinecittà World  Italy Intamin —
Colossus Thorpe Park  United Kingdom Intamin March 2002 – May 2013
Crazy Coaster Locajoy Holiday  China Intamin —
Velikolukskiy Myasokombinat-2 Wonder Island  Russia Intamin —
Sik Flamingo Land  United Kingdom Intamin —
* LightSpeed Wonderland Eurasia  Turkey 10 Intamin —
7 Avalancha Xetulul  Guatemala 8 Intamin —
Dragon Khan PortAventura Park  Spain Bolliger & Mabillard May 1995 – March 2002
Steel Curtain Kennywood  United States S&S - Sansei Technologies —
** unknown (formerly known as Monte Makaya) Mirabilandia  Brazil 8 Intamin January 1998 – March 2002

Wooden roller coasters

Most inversions on a wooden roller coaster[note 3][25]
Rank Name Park Country Inversions Manufacturer Record held
1 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City  United States 3 Rocky Mountain Construction March 2013 – present
Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park  Sweden Rocky Mountain Construction June 2016 – present
3 Goliath Six Flags Great America  United States 2 Rocky Mountain Construction —
4 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park  United States 1 The Gravity Group —
Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Ningbo  China Martin & Vleminckx Rides —
Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Wuhu  China Martin & Vleminckx Rides —
Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Jinan  China Martin & Vleminckx Rides —
Mine Blower Fun Spot America: Kissimmee  United States The Gravity Group —

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 A shuttle roller coaster, not complete-circuit
  2. ↑ Drop height estimated at 345 ft (105 m) according to TripSavvy.[14]
  3. 1 2 3 4 Record was held by Son of Beast from May 2000 – June 2009. It had a height of 218 feet (66 m), a drop distance of 214 feet (65 m) and a maximum speed of 78 mph (126 km/h).[15]
  4. ↑ Record was held by Lightning Rod from June 2016 – September 2020, before its conversion into a steel roller coaster. It had a drop distance of 165 feet (50 m) and a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).[19]
  5. ↑ Record was held by The Ultimate from July 1991 – August 2000, with a length of 7,442 feet (2,268 m).[21]

References

  1. ↑ Harris, Tom. "How Roller Coasters Work". Discovery Communications. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  2. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Census Report". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  3. ↑ Martín, Hugo (March 13, 2012). "Thrill ride designers compete to push the limits". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Top Thrill Dragster: The Inside Track on Cedar Point's Landmark Coaster and Potential Final Lap". Theme Park Tourist. March 25, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  5. ↑ "It's opening weekend for Cedar Point". Associated Press. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Magnum XL–200 20th anniversary ceremony". PointBuzz. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Miller, Danny (July 29, 2013). "Battle Resurgence: Are the Coaster Wars back?". COASTER-net. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  8. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Kingda Ka  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  9. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Formula Rossa  (Ferrari World Abu Dhabi)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  10. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Steel Dragon 2000  (Nagashima Spa Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  11. ↑ Marden, Duane. "The Smiler  (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  13. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ Levine, Arthur (January 7, 2021). "The 10 Tallest Roller Coasters in the World". TripSavvy. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Son of Beast  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  16. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  17. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  18. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  19. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Lightning Rod  (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  20. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  21. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Ultimate  (Lightwater Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  22. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  23. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  24. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  25. ↑ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
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