Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. Early iterations during the 16th and 17th centuries, popularized in Russia, involved wooden sleds that carried riders down large slides made from ice. The first roller coasters to attach 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 were introduced in the mid-20th-century and eventually became more common. They 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 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 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) in height, [5] [6] marking a pivot point in the industry and a new era sometimes referred to as the Coaster Wars. [4] This period saw increasing competition as parks sought to be the latest to set a new world record, and some records were held for less than a year. [7]
The pace of competition eventually slowed, however. [4] [7] The now-defunct Kingda Ka, previously the tallest coaster in the world at 456 feet (139 m), [8] held the height record from 2005 until its closure in 2024. [4] [7] Formula Rossa, formerly the world's fastest at 149 mph (240 km/h), held the speed record for 15 years. [9] Steel Dragon 2000, with its track length of 8,133 feet (2,479 m), was the longest in the world for more than 25 years. These records were eventually surpassed by Falcons Flight in 2025, which opened as the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the world. Other notables include The Beast, the world's longest wooden coaster since its opening in 1979, featuring a track length of 7,361 feet (2,244 m), [10] and The Smiler, which set a world record with fourteen inversions in 2013. [11]
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Record holder |
| ** | Under construction |
| * | Still exists but not operating |
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Height | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T Express | Everland | 183.8 ft (56.0 m) | Intamin | June 2009 – present | |
| Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | 183.8 ft (56.0 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2016 – present | ||
| 3 | El Toro | Six Flags Great Adventure | 181 ft (55 m) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 4 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | 165 ft (50 m) | Rocky Mountain Construction | N/a | |
| 5 | Colossos - Kampf der Giganten | Heide Park | 164 ft (50 m) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 6 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | 159 ft (48 m) | The Gravity Group | N/a | |
| 7 | Jupiter | Kijima Kogen | 137.8 ft (42.0 m) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 8 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 136 ft (41 m) | The Gravity Group | N/a | |
| 9 | Wodan Timbur Coaster | Europa-Park | 131.2 ft (40.0 m) | Great Coasters International | N/a | |
| 10 | Le Monstre | La Ronde | 130.9 ft (39.9 m) | Martin & Vleminckx | July 1985 – March 1990 |
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Speed | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Falcons Flight | Six Flags Qiddiya City | 155.3 mph (249.9 km/h) | Intamin | December 2025 – present | |
| 2 | Formula Rossa | Ferrari World Abu Dhabi | 149.1 mph (240.0 km/h) | Intamin | November 2010 – December 2025 | |
| 3 | Top Thrill 2 | Cedar Point | 120 mph (190 km/h) | Intamin/Zamperla | May 2003 – May 2005 | |
| 4 | Red Force | Ferrari Land | 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 5 | Steel Dragon 2000 | Nagashima Spa Land | 95 mph (153 km/h) | D. H. Morgan Manufacturing | N/a | |
| Fury 325 | Carowinds | 95 mph (153 km/h) | Bolliger & Mabillard | N/a | ||
| 6 | Millennium Force | Cedar Point | 93 mph (150 km/h) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 7 | Leviathan | Canada's Wonderland | 92 mph (148 km/h) | Bolliger & Mabillard | N/a | |
| 8 | Orion | Kings Island | 91 mph (146 km/h) | Bolliger & Mabillard | N/a | |
| 9 | Pantherian | Kings Dominion | 90 mph (140 km/h) | Intamin | N/a | |
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Length | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Beast | Kings Island | 7,361 ft (2,244 m) | Kings Island | April 1979 – present | |
| 2 | The Voyage | Holiday World & Splashin' Safari | 6,442 ft (1,964 m) | The Gravity Group | N/a | |
| 3 | T Express | Everland | 5,383.8 ft (1,641.0 m) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 4 | Shivering Timbers | Michigan's Adventure | 5,383 ft (1,641 m) | Custom Coasters International | N/a | |
| 5 | Jupiter | Kijima Amusement Park | 5,249 ft (1,600 m) | Intamin | N/a | |
| 6 | Python in Bamboo Forest | Nanchang Sunac Land | 5,111 ft (1,558 m) | Great Coasters International | N/a | |
| 7 | Wood Coaster | Knight Valley | 4,817 ft (1,468 m) | Great Coasters International | N/a | |
| 8 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 4,746 ft (1,447 m) | The Gravity Group | N/a | |
| 9 | Boulder Dash | Lake Compounce | 4,725 ft (1,440 m) | Custom Coasters International | N/a | |
| 10 | American Eagle | Six Flags Great America | 4,650 ft (1,420 m) | Intamin | N/a |
This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Inversions | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Smiler | Alton Towers | 14 | Gerstlauer | May 2013 – present | |
| * | Eleventh Roller Coaster | Great Xingdong Tourist World | 11 | Hebei Zhongye | N/a | |
| 2 | Altair | Cinecittà World | 10 | Intamin | N/a | |
| Colossus | Thorpe Park | Intamin | March 2002 – May 2013 | |||
| Crazy Coaster | Locajoy Holiday | Intamin | N/a | |||
| Velikolukskiy Myasokombinat-2 | Wonder Island | Intamin | N/a | |||
| Sik | Flamingo Land | Intamin | N/a | |||
| * | ||||||
| LightSpeed | Wonderland Eurasia | 10 | Intamin | N/a | ||
| 7 | AlpenFury | Canada's Wonderland | 9 | Premier Rides | N/a | |
| 8 | Avalancha | Xetulul | 8 | Intamin | N/a | |
| Dragon Khan | PortAventura Park | Bolliger & Mabillard | May 1995 – March 2002 | |||
| Steel Curtain | Kennywood | S&S - Sansei Technologies | N/a |
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Inversions | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outlaw Run | Silver Dollar City | 3 | Rocky Mountain Construction | March 2013 – present | |
| Wildfire | Kolmården Wildlife Park | Rocky Mountain Construction | June 2016 – present | |||
| 2 | Goliath | Six Flags Great America | 2 | Rocky Mountain Construction | N/a | |
| 3 | Hades 360 | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | 1 | The Gravity Group | N/a | |
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Ningbo | Martin & Vleminckx Rides | N/a | |||
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Wuhu | Martin & Vleminckx Rides | N/a | |||
| Jungle Trailblazer | Oriental Heritage, Jinan | Martin & Vleminckx Rides | N/a | |||
| Mine Blower | Fun Spot America: Kissimmee | The Gravity Group | N/a |
| Rank | Name | Park | Country | Drop angle | Manufacturer | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TMNT Shellraiser | Nickelodeon Universe | 121.5° | Gerstlauer | October 2019 – present | |
| 2 | Takabisha | Fuji-Q Highland | 121.0° | Gerstlauer | 15 July 2011 – October 2019 | |
| 3 | Green Lantern Coaster | Warner Bros. Movie World | 120.5° | S&S Worldwide | N/a | |
| 4 | Crazy Bird | Happy Valley Tianjin | 120.0° | S&S Worldwide | N/a | |
| 5 | Cannibal | Lagoon | 116.0° | Lagoon Corporation | N/a | |
| 6 | Timber Drop | Fraispertuis City | 113.0° | S&S Worldwide | 2 July 2011 – 14 July 2011 | |
| 7 | Mumbo Jumbo | Flamingo Land Resort | 112.0° | S&S Worldwide | July 2009 – 1 July 2011 | |
| 8 | Steel Hawg | Indiana Beach | 111.0° | S&S Worldwide | July 2008 – July 2009 | |
| 9 | Defiance | Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park | 102.3° | Gerstlauer | N/a | |
| 10 | Monster | Adventureland | 101.0° | Gerstlauer | N/a | |
| Toutatis | Parc Astérix | Intamin | N/a |