The idea of Roller Coasters has been around for a long time. Yes, the implementation of it was far different from what we see now but the idea of going down a steep slope with formidable speeds has been around for years. However, it seems that the first modern roller coaster was built in Paris in 1817. Wheeled cars were securely connected to the track which had twists and turns. As the years went by the then thrilling rides became the new normal. This led creators to start designing more outlandish ones to fulfill the needs of the thrill-seekers. Today, it seems that every coaster that is constructed with a budget is aimed at either breaking some records or maintaining the standard of the top fastest roller coasters in the world.
Creatives are continuously trying to push the boundaries of physics to create the ultimate ride that would give a gargantuan amount of adrenaline rush. This has led to the fastest roller coasters with the steepest of drops. The fastest roller coaster in the world is the Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi. If you want to feel the ultimate speed thrill then that should be on your list.
Besides that, multiple roller coasters all over the world have been the fastest at some point but still provide a unique experience. Today, we have gathered a bunch of such coasters. These coasters have been designed to take your thrill-seeking mind and body to places they have never been to. For the best results, book ahead so that you don’t waste time.
Fastest Roller Coaster in the World:
Formula Rossa
The ultimate roller coaster experience as far as speed is concerned is offered by Formula Rossa. It is the fastest roller coaster in Dubai as well as the world. The ride currently reaches a top speed of 149 miles per hour which has been unrivaled since the beginning. The idea behind this monster of a ride was to let people experience the thrill of being inside a Formula Race Car.
The track of this roller coaster is based on the famous racetrack in Italy called Autodromo Nazionale Monza racetrack. You will have a thrilling experience when you ride this coaster. It is around 1.4 miles in length. The roller coaster reaches its peak speed in 5 seconds after start. So, you have a thrilling experience from the very beginning.
Address: FJM6+MXF – Yas Island – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
Phone: +971 2 496 8000
Kingda Ka
Up next, we have one of the tallest roller coasters in the world. You can find the Kingda Ka roller coaster in Six Flags Great Adventure Park in New Jersey. Though not the fastest roller coaster in the world it certainly is one of the most thrilling rides you will ever enjoy in any park. The ride has a drop of 456 feet at its extreme.
The adrenaline rush that you will feel at such a drop is just unreal. Every year, thousands of people visit this adventure park just to ride this amazing roller coaster. Besides the steep drop, the ride also has a spiral of 270 degrees which will give you a rush like no other. The ride has been open to the public since 2005. If you are looking for some of the best options for the fastest roller coaster in the world you can check out Kingda ka.
Address: 1 Six Flags Blvd, Jackson Township, NJ 08527, United States
Phone: +1 732-928-1821
Thrill Dragster
Cedar Point is a hub of roller coasters. If you like thrill rides and love riding roller coasters then this should be a dream come true. There are so many coasters here. Because of this, Cedar Point has been nicknamed ‘America’s Roller Coast’. But just because there are a bunch of coasters here, doesn’t mean that they are bad.
The company has maintained quality with the quantity. But if you want to ride the fastest and one of the most thrilling coasters here, then try out Thrill Dragster. The coaster reaches a top speed of 120 miles per hour. It reaches its top speed in mere 3.8 seconds. There is a 420 feet drop at the middle of the ride which is coupled with a 270-degree spiral.
Address: 1 Cedar Point Dr, Sandusky, OH 44870, United States
Phone: +1 419-627-2350
Do-Dodonpa
Do-Dondopa used to be the fastest roller coaster a couple of decades ago. The record has since then been beaten a bunch of times. But regardless of it, Do-Donpa is still one of the best roller coasters in the world and if you want a nice coaster with good speed then this should be on your list. You can ride the coaster in an adventure park in Fujiyoshida.
The total course is around 4801 feet and the coaster rides most of it at a speed of 107 which used to be the fastest in the world when it was launched. The ride can reach that speed in around 1.5 seconds. You will face upwards of 3.3 Gs of gravitational force. Now, isn’t that the ultimate thrill?
Address: Japan, 〒403-0017 Yamanashi, Fujiyoshida, Shinnishihara, 5 Chome−6 Fuji-Q Highland
Phone: +81 555-23-2111
Red Force
Ferrari Lands are some of the best adventure parks in the world. So, it is evident that we will have a couple of entries on this list from them. If you are looking for the fastest roller coaster in the world then you might want to check out the Red Force. It is a ride in the Ferrari Land of Tarragona, Spain.
This amusement park is located within another big adventure park called PortAventura World theme park resort suite. Red Force is the fastest roller coaster in Europe. It reaches a top speed of 111 miles per hour. The acceleration to the top speed takes around 5 seconds. One of the drops on the track is a 367-foot drop. The track is over 2900 feet in length.
Address: Av. Pere Molas, s/n, 43840, Tarragona, Spain
Phone: +34 977 77 90 90
Superman: Escape from Krypton
Superman: Escape from Krypton was one of the revolutionary coasters of its time. Like most of the coasters on this list, it used to be the fastest roller coaster in the world. The ride was unveiled in 1997 alongside another popular ride Tower of Terror II. The ride, then named Superman: The Escape, could reach a top speed of 100 miles per hour.
This was due to the new Linear Synchronous Motor launch technology which was revolutionary at the time. The acceleration to top speed takes around 7 seconds and the riders could experience up to 4.5 G’s of gravitational force. The 415-foot drop, the steepest on the track, is almost 90 degrees. Yeah, this ride is meant to provide you with the utmost thrill.
Address: 26101 Magic Mountian Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355, United States
Phone: +1 661-255-4111
Steel Dragon 2000
Let’s look at another awesome roller coaster from Japan. The Steel Dragon 2000 attracts thousands of thrill seekers and adventure park enthusiasts. Though not the fastest, Steel Dragon 200 still holds the record for the longest roller coaster track. The track spans over 8133 feet. Seems like a good deal since you can ride for a longer duration. Morgan Manufacturing built the ride in 2000.
The name Dragon though cool isn’t there just for that. The cycle sign of the opening year of the coaster was Dragon. Hence the name Steel Dragon 2000. The ride reaches a top speed of 95 miles per hour. It takes around 4 minutes for the ride to complete. There is a 318-foot drop in one part of the track. It also showcases a couple of tunnels.
Address: 333 Nagashimacho Urayasu, Kuwana, Mie 511-1135, Japan
Phone: +81 594-45-1111
Fury 325
Fury 325 claims the title of being the tallest and fastest Roller Coaster in the world. It is a huge coaster that reaches a height of around 325 feet. Manufacturing firm Bollinger and Mabillard designed and constructed this magnificent ride. It was launched at the Carowinds theme park in North Carolina. Due to the fun, thrill and quality of the ride Fury 325, has been the recipient of the best steel coaster award by Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards.
The title was held previously by Millennium Force which you can find at Cedar Point (the next entry). Currently, Fury 325 reaches a top speed of around 95 miles per hour. The entire ride takes around 3 minutes and 24 seconds to complete. It uses a traditional chain-lift mechanism and is currently the tallest coaster to use that technology.
Address: 300 Carowinds Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28273, United States
Phone: +1 704-588-2600
Millennium Force
Millennium Force is one of the most popular roller coasters in the world. When it was launched in the year 2000, it was a force to be reckoned with in the roller coaster world. That’s because it broke six world records for roller coasters. The term giga-coaster was coined to categorize this marvelous ride. Even though the records have since been broken multiple times by other rides, Millennium Force actually introduced a lot to the field. It was revolutionary for its time, having used the cable-lift hill technology.
It also popularized the ticket-to-ride system for reservations. This was due to the long queue of people waiting to ride this amazing ride. The top speed of the Millennium Force is around 93 miles per hour. The steepest drop is around 310 feet. It has won the number one steel coaster award multiple times.
Address: 1 Cedar Point Dr, Sandusky, OH 44870, United States
Phone: +1 419-627-2350
Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod is a fun roller coaster ride that was constructed with the 50s hot-rod theme in mind. The coaster opened its doors to the public in 2016. It was the first wooden roller coaster at the time. Rocky Mountain Construction was responsible for constructing this unique coaster. The company is sort of a big name in this field. It has created coasters using steel-hybrid wooden coaster technologies.
It has also refurbished one of Cedar Point’s historic coasters. Lightning Rod reaches upwards of 73 miles per hour. Though this is in no way close to the fastest roller coaster in the world, it is still the fastest wooden coaster. This coaster is perfect for thrill seekers. It has been ranked as one of the top 10 wooden coasters for many years now.
Address: 2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863, United States
Phone: +1 800-365-5996
Wildfire
Wildfire is a roller coaster in Sweden that offers people one of the best experiences when it comes to speed and height. It is a wooden coaster that reaches a top speed of 70 miles per hour. Those stats make it the fastest wooden coaster in Europe. You can find this ride at Kolmården Wildlife Park in Sweden which is another exciting place to visit. Kolmården Wildlife Park is the largest zoo in Scandinavia.
It has a couple of rides for thrill-seekers. Besides Wildfire, you will find another decent, but smaller, coaster called Dolphin Express. Rocky Mountain Construction built this Wildfire. It started back in 2016 and has a total track length of 4150 feet. The first drop of the track is 161 feet which makes it the second highest among the wooden coasters in the world.
Address: Kolmården, 618 32 Norrköping, Sweden
Phone: +46 10 708 70 00
El Toro
Up next is El Toro. This Intamin Coaster was designed along with Rocky Mountain Construction. You can ride this 70 miles per hour coaster in the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. When it opened, it had the steepest drop for a wooden coaster, thanks to the 176-foot drop in the starting that was almost 76 degrees.
The record has been broken but the thrill hasn’t. You can still have loads of fun on this ride. It reaches a maximum speed of 70. Another notable thing about this ride is that it uses a cable lift system which was a first for a wooden coaster. The roller coaster follows the theme of a bull. You can find artwork on the coaster depicting the powerful and amazing animal.
Address: 1 Six Flags Blvd, Jackson Township, NJ 08527, United States
Colossos
Colossos is a plug-and-play wooden coaster. A couple of big companies were involved in the making of this ride viz. Intamin and Rocky Mountain Construction. This ride along with El Toro in Six Flags Great Adventure, Balder in Lisberg and T Express in Everland are the only four plug-and-play wooden coasters.
Colossos has a track spanning 4409 feet in length. The coaster reaches a peak speed of 68 miles per hour. The coaster uses a chain lift hill and the first drop is 159 feet. It takes a total of two minutes and 25 seconds to complete the ride. In 2016, it seemed that the ride had seen its last days when the park decided to shut it down. But it has reopened and you can have a great time riding this coaster.
Address: Heide Park 1, 29614 Soltau, Germany
Phone: +49 180 6 919101
Outlaw Run
Outlaw Run is a roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 68 miles per hour. Silver Dollar City in Branson has this beautiful hybrid coaster. The total track length is 2937 feet and the steepest drop is 162 feet. You feel the drop quite well as it is around 81 degrees which gives the thrilling free-fall feel.
This ride is one of the reasons why Rocky Mountain Construction is such a big name in the wooden coaster industry as well. The company introduced its Topper Track technology in this ride. This technology took four years to perfect. Outlaw Run is also Rocky Mountain’s first hybrid wood-steel roller coaster. When it first started the coaster was the only wooden one in the world to have inversions in its track.
Address: 399 Silver Dollar City Pkwy, Branson, MO 65616, United States
Phone: +1 800-888-7277
Conclusion:-
Finding the fastest roller coaster is easy. You can just search for the one with the top speed and ride it. But the history of roller coasters is filled with so much interesting stuff. Most of the stuff is modern even though this ride has been around in some form or the other. We have included coasters on this least that have been the fastest or have broken some records when launched.
If you want to ride some of the fastest roller coasters in the world then start from the top. You can find the ultimate thrill in speed for some of the coasters while others have huge drops and tracks filled with twists and turns. We aimed to narrow down some of the fastest roller coasters in the world. When you are riding at 100 miles per hour while going through drops and spirals the feeling is amazing.
It gives you an adrenaline rush like no other. We hope you found useful info from our list and now have a checklist of stuff to do for your next vacation. If you are planning to visit any of these coasters we suggest contacting the parks or checking out the timings for them. You don’t want to reach your destination only to find that it is closed. We wish you an amazing and thrilling experience.