List of roller coaster rankings
Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. During the 16th and 17th centuries, rides consisting of wooden sleds that took riders down large slides made from ice were popular in Russia. The first roller coasters, where the train was attached to a wooden track, first appeared in France in the early 1800s.[1] Although wooden roller coasters are still being produced, steel roller coasters are more common and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.[2]
Ranked by height, speed, length, inversions, and steepness, roller coasters are also rated through public opinion polls. Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest rides to attract thrill seekers and boost overall park attendance.[3] However, many records do not usually last long. When Magnum XL-200 opened in 1989, it began a new era of roller coasters and increased competition among parks to set new world records. The Magnum XL–200 was the first complete-circuit roller coaster built over 200 feet (61 m).[4][5] Other notable roller coasters include Formula Rossa which reaches a top speed of 149 miles per hour (240 km/h),[6] Kingda Ka which stands at 456 feet (139 m) tall,[7] Steel Dragon 2000 which measures 8,133 feet (2,479 m) in length.[8] and The Smiler which features fourteen inversions.
Key
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Record holder |
| ** | Under construction |
| * | Still exists but not operating |
Height rankings
Tallest steel roller coasters
| 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 |
| 2 | Top Thrill Dragster | Cedar Point | United States | 420 ft (130 m) | Intamin | May 2003 – May 2005 |
| 3 | Superman: Escape from Krypton[note 1] | Six Flags Magic Mountain | United States | 415 ft (126 m) | Intamin | March 1997 – May 2003 |
| 4 | Red Force | Ferrari Land | Spain | 367.3 ft (112.0 m) | Intamin | — |
| 5 | Fury 325 | Carowinds | United States | 325 ft (99 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
| 6 | Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land | Japan | 318.3 ft (97.0 m) | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing | — |
| 7 | Millennium Force | Cedar Point | United States | 310 ft (94 m) | Intamin | — |
| 8 | Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 306 ft (93 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
| 9 | Intimidator 305 | Kings Dominion | United States | 305 ft (93 m) | Intamin | — |
| 10 | Orion | Kings Island | United States | 287 ft (87 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
Longest steel roller coaster drops
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Drop length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingda Ka | Six Flags Great Adventure | United States | 418 ft (127 m) | Intamin | May 2005 – present |
| 2 | Top Thrill Dragster | Cedar Point | United States | 400 ft (120 m) | Intamin | May 2003 – May 2005 |
| 3 | Red Force | Ferrari Land | Spain | Unknown | Intamin | — |
| 4 | Superman: Escape from Krypton[note 1] | Six Flags Magic Mountain | United States | 328.1 ft (100.0 m) | Intamin | March 1997 – May 2003 |
| 5 | Fury 325 | Carowinds | United States | 320 ft (98 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
| 6 | Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land | Japan | 306.8 ft (93.5 m) | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing | — |
| 7 | Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 306 ft (93 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
| 8 | 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 | — |
Tallest wooden roller coasters
| 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 | — |
| 10 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | United States | 127 ft (39 m) | Intamin | — |
Longest wooden roller coaster drops
| 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 |
Speed rankings
Fastest steel roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Speed | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 3 | Top Thrill Dragster | Cedar Point | United States | 120 mph (190 km/h) | Intamin | May 2003 – May 2005 |
| 4 | Do-Dodonpa | Fuji-Q Highland | Japan | 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) | S&S - Sansei Technologies | December 2001 – May 2003 |
| Red Force | Ferrari Land | Spain | 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) | Intamin | — | |
| 6 | 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 Sansei | — |
| 7 | Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land | Japan | 95 mph (153 km/h) | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing | — |
| Fury 325 | Carowinds | United States | 95 mph (153 km/h) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — | |
| 9 | Millennium Force | Cedar Point | United States | 93 mph (150 km/h) | Intamin | — |
| 10 | Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland | Canada | 92 mph (148 km/h) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
Fastest wooden roller coasters
| 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 | — |
Length rankings
Longest steel roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land | Japan | 8,133 ft (2,479 m) | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing | August 2000 – present |
| * | The Ultimate | Lightwater Valley | United Kingdom | 7,442 ft (2,268 m) | British Rail | July 1991 – August 2000 |
| 2 | Fujiyama | Fuji-Q Highland | Japan | 6,709 ft (2,045 m) | TOGO | — |
| 3 | Fury 325 | Carowinds | United States | 6,602 ft (2,012 m) | Bolliger & Mabillard | — |
| 4 | Millennium Force | Cedar Point | United States | 6,595 ft (2,010 m) | Intamin | — |
| 5 | Formula Rossa | Ferrari World Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates | 6,562 ft (2,000 m) | Intamin | — |
| 6 | Incredicoaster | Disney California Adventure | United States | 6,072 ft (1,851 m) | Intamin | — |
| 7 | Desperado | Buffalo Bill's | United States | 5,843 ft (1,781 m) | Arrow Dynamics | — |
| 8 | Steel Vengeance | Cedar Point | United States | 5,740 ft (1,750 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | — |
| 9 | 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 | — |
Longest wooden roller coasters
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Beast | Kings Island | United States | 7,359 ft (2,243 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 | — |
Inversion rankings
This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.
Steel roller coasters
| 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 Metallurgical Equipment Manufacturing | — |
| 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 | — | ||
| * | LightSpeed | Wonderland Eurasia | Turkey | 10 | Intamin | — |
| ** | unknown | Flamingo Land | United Kingdom | 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 | Mirabilandia | Brazil | 8 | Intamin | — |
Wooden roller coasters
| 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
- ^ a b c A shuttle roller coaster, not complete-circuit
- ^ Record was held by The Rattler from March 1992 – May 2000, with a height of 179.7 feet (54.8 m).[11]
- ^ a b c d 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).[12]
- ^ 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).[16]
References
- ^ Harris, Tom. "How Roller Coasters Work". Discovery Communications. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Census Report". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Martín, Hugo (March 13, 2012). "Thrill ride designers compete to push the limits". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "It's opening weekend for Cedar Point". Associated Press. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ "Magnum XL–200 20th anniversary ceremony". PointBuzz. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Formula Rossa (Ferrari World Abu Dhabi)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Kingda Ka (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Iron Rattler (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Son of Beast (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Lightning Rod (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Record Holders – Steel – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Steel Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Wood Record Holders – Most Inversions". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roller coasters.
- Roller coaster census at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Top 100 roller coasters on CoasterBuzz
