19 Scariest Roller Coasters, Ranked

Where Is It:New Jersey / Six Flags Great Adventure

The Drop: Kingda KaPeople who love heights or fear heights should ride this. It hits 456 feet high and reaches 128 mph. Massive spirals send riders over quickly, hitting top speed in just 3-4 seconds.

What It's Known For:On its 2005 debut, this coaster was the world's tallest and fastest. Though its speed record broke in 2010, its height remains unmatched. The drop tower hits riders with 5 Gs of force on the way down.

Fun Fact:Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, the world's tallest drop ride, attaches to Kingda Ka's drop tower. This ride, which set a new record in 2014, gives its partner even more attention.

Where Is It:Florida / Busch Gardens

The Drop:Iron Gwazi has many overbanked turns and inversions.Iron GwaziIt features a zero-G stall that makes riders feel weightless. The ride stands 206 feet tall and drops 91 degrees.

What It's Known For: Its speed and incline make it one of the fastest and steepest coasters. This matters when many theme parks share the same state.

Fun Fact:As ahybrid roller coaster, Iron Gwazi builds its structure using both metal and wood.

Where Is It:United Arab Emirates / Ferrari World

The Drop:Speed lovers get an unforgettable ride here. Since 2010, Formula RossaFormula Rossa is the world's fastest coaster, reaching a maximum of 149.1 mph. It lacks inversions or hard twists; fast turns and twists are its main goal.

What It's Known For: To become the world's fastest coaster, it goes from 0 to 149 mph in only 4.9 seconds. Ferrari World's website shows how this works:

Formula Rossa uses a hydraulic winch system like the one used to launch jet planes. It mimics the red racing cars of Scuderia Ferrari.

Fun Fact:Being the world's fastest coaster costs riders something. Anyone wanting speed must wear gogglesto protect their eyes from insects, sand, or dust.to protect their eyes from insects, sand, or dust.

Where Is It:Japan / Fuji-Q Highland

The Drop:Few other rides provide the number of dizzying inversions that Eejanaikadoes, totaling 14 inversions. It reaches nearly 250 feet tall, has an 89-degree maximum depth, and hits 78 mph.

What It's Known For:Eejanaika is a fourth-dimension coaster. Seats pivot separately from the track. This creates a dynamic experience where riders feel more inversions than the track alone provides.

Fun Fact:This ride shares the most inversions with The Smiler at Alton Towers in the UK. That ride has 14 actual loops, while most of Eejanaika’s are seat inversions.

Where Is It:China / Sunac Land

The Drop:Fans of the weightlessness from airtime will like this ride.Manufacturer Intamin says this.Legendary Twin Dragon gives riders four forward and four backward swings, plus six weightless airtime moments. It hits speeds near 74 mph.

What It's Known For:In 2021, it broke records as the fastest and highest double-twisted impulse coaster. Legendary Twin Dragon sends passengers up its 229-foot twisted track before braking and reversing the cars.

Fun Fact:Intamin, based in Lichtenstein, first created the impulse coaster concept in 1998. They launched the Linear Gale at Tokyo Dome City in Japan.

Where Is It:Illinois / Six Flags Great America

The Drop:In the world of wooden roller coasters,Goliathlives up to its name with a top height of 165 feet. It moves fast for a wooden coaster at 72 mph. It sends riders on an 180-foot drop, including two inversion tunnels.

What It's Known For:Goliath broke three records when it opened in 2014. It was the fastest wooden roller coaster globally. Its drop earned two records for being the steepest and tallest for a wooden coaster. Newer rides have surpassed those two records, but Goliath keeps the first.

Fun Fact:It was built onthe site of Iron Wolf, a roller coaster that kept passengers standing. They took the latter apart and changed it into a standard floorless design at a Maryland theme park.

Where Is It:Sweden / Kolmården Wildlife Park

The Drop:No faster wooden roller coaster exists in Europe than Wildfire in Sweden. Wildfire reaches 71 mph. Its steepest angle hits 83 degrees. It exerts 4 Gs on riders, with a drop height of 161 feet and three inversions.

What It's Known For:Besides being a strong ride, it is the second-fastest wooden coaster in the world. Fans of weightlessness will like this.It happens 12 timeson Wildfire.

Fun Fact: Wildfire is one of the tallest wooden roller coasters globally. Globally, its height is only matched by T Express in South Korea, and Wildfire shares that spot.

Where Is It:Taiwan / Lihpao Land

The Drop: Gravity Maxis a roller coaster that messes with the senses. The ride stands 115 feet high. It features a tilting move, spinning the cars 90 degrees before sending them straight down. It has one inversion and runs at 55 mph.

What It's Known For:It was theworld’s first roller coasterto use this tilting feature. Thrill seekers cannot miss the anticipation of the 13-story drop.

Fun Fact: The Dutch companyVekomadesigned Gravity Max's new system. They have built over 400 roller coasters worldwide and plan many more projects.

Where Is It:UK / Alton Towers

The Drop:The Smiler has moderate stats: a 98-foot drop and a top speed of 52.8 mph. This roller coaster exists in Staffordshire, England, and its psychedelic look is more than just its numbers.The Smiler features 14 inversions. It includes two dive loops and several heartline and cobra rolls.The ride includes a dizzying 14 inversions. Two dive loops and several heartline and cobra rolls make up this.

What It's Known For: The Smiler features an inversion-rich layout generating over 4.5 Gs of force. Five tracks run at once, meeting on a large screen showing the ride's smile-hypnosis theme.

Fun Fact:The Smiler has more track inversions than any other conventional coaster. Eejanaika in Japan also has 14 inversions; eleven of those come from seats pivoting independently.

Where Is It:Utah / Lagoon

The Drop:Central to Cannibal has an imposing, distinct beyond-vertical drop, sending riders down at 116 degrees. Riders enjoy several unique inverted loops at 70 mph.

What It's Known For:This roller coaster puts Utah's Lagoon on the map for theme park fans because it has the tallest beyond-vertical dropCars curve inward during this rapid descent.

Fun Fact:Cannibal, which opened in 2015, has the second-steepest drop in the US. After four years, the 2019 opening of the TMNT Shellraiser at Nickelodeon Universe beat its record for steepest.

Where Is It:Canada / Canada's Wonderland

The Drop: Yukon Striker is an impressive coaster combining speed and steepness into a record-setting build. It has four inversions, an 81 mph top speed, and a 90-degree drop that sends riders 245 feet.

What It's Known For:The ride is the world’s tallest, longest, and fastestdive coaster, which uses steel construction for 90-degree (or near 90-degree) drops. The Yukon Striker also features the first and only complete 360-degree loop in a dive coaster.

Fun Fact: This ride holds special status for its home country. Yukon Striker is the first dive coaster built in Canada, period. It sets world records too.

Where Is It:South Africa / Gold Reef City

The Drop:While Tower of Terroris not the fastest or tallest globally, its effects shock experienced roller coaster fans. It hits a 90-degree drop, exerting 6.3 Gs of force on passengers. It has a top speed of 59 mphand a height of 112 feet.

What It's Known For:Its incredible G forces are the most extreme in the worldon a roller coaster. If that does not attract adrenaline junkies, nothing will!

Fun Fact:The Tower of Terror’s drop goes into an old mine shaft. The entire park sits on a gold mine and is themed after it, giving it the Gold Reef City name.

Where Is It:South Korea / Everland

The Drop: T ExpressThis ride broke rules, becoming one of the world's tallest wooden coasters. It hits 77 degrees steepness and sends riders through 5,384 feet of sharp twists. The coaster does not hit the top speed; it maxes out at 64.6 mph.

What It's Known For:South Korean theme parks view this ride as a big win. It ranks second fastest in South Korea, trailing only Draken at Gyeongju World.

Fun Fact:T Express shares the title with Wildfire in Sweden's Kolmården Wildlife Park for being the world's tallest wooden coaster. Both rides stand at 183.8 feet.

Where Is It: Ohio / Cedar Point

The Drop: Maverick is an intense ride with many turns and sharp drops. Its most unique features include a twisted horseshoe roll and a 95-degree beyond-verticaldrop. The ride reaches 105 feet high and hits speeds up to 70 mph.

What It's Known For:Riders hit rapid twists and turns, sharp banked curves, and quick direction changes. The beyond-vertical drop offers a major thrill.

Fun Fact:Maverick is the first coaster to use a twisted horseshoe roll, an element where the train first twists through a corkscrew, then twists in the opposite direction through another corkscrew.

Where Is It:Massachusetts / Six Flags New England

The Drop: Roller coaster fans who love DC comics likely experienced Bizarro, perhaps under a different name. DC comics likely saw Bizarro most often, though maybe by another name.. Six Flags called it Superman: Ride of Steel in 2000, keeping that name until 2009, then renaming it Bizarro. The park changed it again in 2016, calling it Superman: The Ride.

The coaster reaches 208 feet high. At 77 mph, it sends riders down a 221-foot drop. It features many turns, drops, a misted tunnel, and several underground tunnels.

What It's Known For:While Bizarro, the coaster got a new paint job showing Superman’s Bizarro World counterpart, Bizarro Superman. Riders heard Bizarro chanting his name or rock music depending on the year.

Fun Fact:In its first run with Superman theming, the ride offered Oculus Rift VR headsets showing Superman fight Lex Luthor. The ride stopped the next year.Although , it was a new, high-tech way to boost the experience.

Where Is It:Ohio / Kings Island

The Drop: Banshee riders face a thrilling 150-foot drop and go through seven inversions, including loops, corkscrews, and a zero-G roll. Cars move at 70 mph, and the highest point is 167 feet.

What It's Known For:Banshee, which opened in 2014, stands as the world's longest steel inverted roller coaster. It also nearly held the most inversions among inverted coasters. However, it could not beat Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay; it shares the tie.

Fun Fact:Banshee replaced a wooden roller coaster called Son of Beast. The latter was a massive construct that left many riders with injuries ranging from minor to severe during its 9-year operation.

Where Is It:Japan / Fuji-Q Highland

The Drop: Takabisha is renowned for its incredibly steep drops, the most extreme of which plunge passengers down a terrifying 121 degrees. The ride also features seven inversions and several sharp twists and turns at a top speed of 62 mph.

What It's Known For:From 2011 to 2019, Takabisha held the title for the steepest roller coaster globally. TMNT Shellraiser at New Jersey's Nickelodeon Universe beat it by only 0.5 degrees.

Fun Fact:Takabisha's loss to TMNT Shellraiser might have disappointed its designers, but it was likely worse for TMNT Shellraiser's predecessor. The Timber Drop in Jeanménil, France, won and kept the steepest roller coaster title for just two weeks before Takabisha took it.

Where Is It:California / Six Flags Magic Mountain

The Drop: Full Throttle Full Throttle takes loops to the extreme, reaching one of the world's tallest summits. Three launches abruptly send cars backward and forward multiple times. It also pushes passengers through two inversions at 70 mph.

What It's Known For:Full Throttle's whiplash motion sets it apart from other coasters. It pauses briefly in a tunnel, reverses halfway up the loop, and speeds forward again.

Fun Fact:Full Throttle earned the tallest vertical loop record when it opened in 2013. Another coaster matched and surpassed that record later, but before that, the Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas held the record since 2000.

Where Is It:Denmark / Fårup Sommerland

The Drop: There is no better roller coaster option for coaster fans in Denmark thanFønix; its name means “phoenix” in English. Fønix reaches 131 feet and 59 mph at its tallest and fastest. It has three inversions that send riders through hills and sharp turns. The main feature is thestall loop inversion, an element no other roller coaster had tried when Fønix debuted in 2022.

What It's Known For: The ride’s thrilling (or scary, depending on your view) part combines a loop with an inverted stall. The maneuvers here create 9.2 seconds of weightlessness for riders.

Fun Fact:Fønix is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Denmark. Fønix beat the previous record holder, Piraten, by 26 feet and 3 mph.