Inaugurated in Paris in 1817, the Promenades Aêrrienes (Aerial Walk) is often recognized as the world’s first modern roller coaster. Although it’s no longer operational, the attraction once offered thrill-seekers the chance to ride on wheeled carriages along a rail track at 40 mph, which was revolutionary at the time. Since then, modern technology has allowed roller coasters to become even faster, taller, and more daring. If you’re a speed and adrenaline enthusiast, here are 10 of the tallest, fastest roller coasters in the world you can ride today.
10. Orion – Mason, Ohio
Top speed: 91 mph
Orion, a steel roller coaster located at Ohio’s Kings Island amusement park, is one of only a handful of so-called “giga coasters” in the world. These are rides that have a total height (or a single drop) between 300 and 399 feet tall. With a total track length of 5,321 feet, the coaster races over a series of heart-pounding drops and loops. Orion’s roller coaster speed tops out at 91 mph.
Each eight-car train has a capacity for 32 passengers seated in rows of four, and up to 1,650 passengers can enjoy the two-minute-long ride per hour. Since opening, Orion has been a smash hit with thrill-seekers: It won the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice 2021 award for Best New Amusement Park Attraction.
9. Leviathan – Maple, Ontario
Top speed: 92 mph
Inspired by a mythical sea monster, Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland is the fastest and tallest roller coaster in Canada. Rising 306 feet tall with a thrilling 80-degree drop, it has a top speed of 92 mph. The out-and-back ride speeds along 5,486 feet of track in approximately three and a half minutes.
The ride induces breathtaking airtime hills and sharp twists, but no complete inversions. Situated in the Medieval Faire area of the amusement park, Leviathan is one of 17 roller coasters in the park.
8. Millennium Force – Sandusky, Ohio
Top speed: 93 mph
Inaugurated in 2000, Millennium Force at Cedar Point was the first roller coaster to soar over 300 feet high and is considered the world’s original giga coaster. At the time it opened, Millennium Force was also the world’s tallest full-circuit coaster and had the steepest overbanked turn in the world (122 degrees).
Millennium Force’s drop height is 310 feet. During the two-minute-long journey, passengers are sent along 6,595 feet of track featuring multiple hills, tunnels, and intense airtime. The scenic ride passes water bodies, cuts through wooded areas, and affords panoramic views across Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie.
7. Fury 325 – Charlotte, North Carolina
Top speed: 95 mph
Offering riders an exhilarating blend of speed and height, Fury 325 at Carowinds is North America’s fastest and tallest giga coaster. After climbing to 315 feet, the 32-passenger trains plunge down an 81-degree drop and into curves at breakneck speeds of 95 mph.
This 1.25-mile-long ride lasts for over three minutes and encounters high-speed bank curves and a stomach-dropping camelback hill. Interestingly, the coaster also crosses back and forth over the North and South Carolina state lines during its journey.
6. Steel Dragon 2000 – Kuwana, Japan
Top speed: 95 mph
Japan’s Nagashima Spa Land features several attractions that have held Guinness World Records, with one of the most famous being Steel Dragon 2000. Currently the world’s longest roller coaster, it covers roughly 1.5 miles of track and features a 307-foot-high drop.
At the beginning of the ride, trains trundle to their highest point while affording riders views over the park and its many cherry blossom trees. The Steel Dragon then races through camelbacks, helixes, and extreme bends over its four-minute journey. The name of the ride references the year it opened, which was the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.
5. SUPERMAN: Escape From Krypton – Santa Clarita, California
Top speed: 100 mph
Although the ride lasts for just 28 seconds, SUPERMAN: Escape From Krypton, located at Southern California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain, presents a high-octane thrill that’s not for the faint-hearted. Fourteen passengers are launched backward from 0 to 100 mph in just seven seconds.
The train rises to a height of 415 feet at a 90-degree angle, where it hangs vertically for 6.5 seconds. Following this, riders shoot back toward the start tunnel at 92 mph. Opened in 1997, the ride achieves its superhero-like velocity thanks to an electromagnetic propulsion called linear synchronous motor (LSM). It was one of the first roller coasters to utilize this system.
4. Red Force – Tarragona, Spain
Top speed: 112 mph
Red Force in Ferrari Land at PortAventura World is Europe’s fastest and tallest roller coaster, with trains replicating an elongated Ferrari racing car that accelerate from 0 mph to nearly 112 mph in five seconds. This intense speed is designed to mimic the sensation of driving in a Formula One vehicle.
The 39-second ride takes passengers on a 90-degree ascent to 367 feet above the park, located near Barcelona, before dropping into a dramatic twist. Red Force was once the fastest LSM roller coaster in the world, and the entire acceleration takes place over the first 525 feet of horizontal track. Younger parkgoers can get a taste of the ride on the Junior Red Force.
3. Top Thrill – Sandusky, Ohio
Top speed: 120 mph
The third-fastest roller coaster in the world, Top Thrill 2 is also located at Ohio’s Cedar Point. It is the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch strata coaster, which are coasters with drops of 400 feet or more.
The unique ride, which also employs LSM technology, features three separate train launches, the first of which accelerates into the sky at 74 mph. This is followed by a backward freefall launch that reaches 101 mph and takes passengers to the summit of the 420-foot-tall tower. The final, fastest launch hits speeds up to 120 mph as the coaster ascends another 420-foot-tall tower before dropping into a 270-degree spiral.
Top Thrill has a track length of 2,800 feet and a ride time of two minutes, but note that as of late 2024, the ride is currently out of service until further notice as it is being renovated.
2. Kingda Ka – Jackson Township, New Jersey
Top speed: 128 mph
The hydraulically launched Kingda Ka is the world’s second-fastest roller coaster the fastest roller coaster in the U.S. And it holds another impressive Guinness World Record: the world’s tallest roller coaster. On this tiger-themed ride at New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park, passengers reach a speed on Kingda Ka of 128 mph in just 3.5 seconds.
Some 20,800 horsepower is required to send the trains up and over an inverted U-shaped track with a high point of 456 feet. A few seconds after reaching the top — barely enough time to enjoy the view — the train spirals down into a 418-foot drop. It then races over a 129-foot camelback hill to generate a few seconds of weightlessness. In total, Kingda Ka travels 3,118 feet in just 50 seconds.
Update: After this article was originally published, Kingda Ka was permanently closed in November 2024, as the park makes way for a new record-breaking roller coaster set to debut in 2026.
1. Formula Rossa – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Top speed: 149.1 mph
Formula Rossa is currently the world’s fastest roller coaster, according to Guinness World Records. Part of Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World amusement park, Formula Rossa gives passengers an authentic feeling of riding in a high-performance Ferrari.
The sleek, 16-person red trains hit their top speed in 4.5 seconds and exert a g-force of 4.8 (over four times the force of gravity). The cars zoom around a 1.29-mile-long track loosely inspired by the shape of the Monza Circuit in Milan, Italy. The track features several airtime hills along with dramatic twists and turns.
Note: Though it still holds the world record, Formula Rossa is currently out of service until further notice, as of late 2024.
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