I admit I’m a scream queen when it comes to roller coasters. I love them so and the opportunity to scream my lungs out without censure just adds to the fun. Here in the UK we’ve got a couple of great ones but they don’t match up to the highest, scariest and most thrilling roller coasters in the world.
1 Kingda Ka
This absolute beast of a coaster lives at New Jersey’s Six Flags and has long been atop the list of the world’s highest roller coasters. It boasts a vertical drop of a staggering 408 feet. Definitely not one for the faint hearted but the adrenaline rush is indescribable!
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2 Top Thrill Dragster
This coaster is the pride of Ohio’s Cedar Point, and its 400-foot drop made it the tallest and fasted coaster of its kind in the world for a very long time. This one will give you a hell of a ride.
3 Superman: Escape from Krypton
At Six Flags Magic Mountain in California you will find this coaster dedicated to the special powers of Superman. Giving you the feeling that you are taking off in flight, it’s combined with a stomach churning 328-foot drop to bring you back down to earth!
4 Tower of Terror
Not the Disneyland elevator ride, but the Tower of Terror that lives in Dreamworld, Australia. This coaster will shoot you straight up in a vertical line and have you fall back down to the ground in a 328 feet of G-force adrenaline rush.
5 Fury 325
This coaster at Carowinds, North Carolina was opened to the public in 2015 and uses a traditional lift hill type climb to then plummet its passengers down a 318-foot drop. It even passes the park entrance on its way!
6 Steel Dragon
This site of the impressive Steel Dragon coaster at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan is something quite incredible. Its highest point boasts a 307-foot drop, but the steel contraption gives riders a number of thrilling experiences before you find yourself stumbling away!
7 Leviathan
The star attraction of Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario, Leviathan is a super smooth feeling coaster that offers a 306-foot drop at its peak. It’s incredibly fast and incredibly tall, but could you handle the intensity?
8 Millennium Force
Another notch in the belt for Cedar Point in Ohio, the Millennium Force coaster sadly isn’t Star Wars themed but it makes up for it with a drop of 300 feet and a maximum speed of 93 mph. Some riders have even reported a slight ‘grey out’ when riding!
9 Intimidator 305
You can guess by the coaster’s name that this one is no childish ride in the park! Virginia’s Kings Dominion Park is proud to boast a coaster with a punishing 300-foot drop, and its rattle car nature makes it a truly aptly named intimidating experience!
10 Shambhala
This is the star attraction of the PortAventura resort in Spain, a hypercoaster than boasts a 256-foot drop and just happens to be the fastest theme park ride in all of Europe!
11 Goliath
Back across the pond to Six Flag Magic Mountain in California, the mighty Goliath coaster will have you falling for 255 feet of solid G-force. Do you feel like being the ‘David’ in this Goliath situation?
12 Titan
Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington proudly presents Titan, a hypercoaster that certainly makes up for the long line with a 3 minute and 30 second ride time! You will reach speeds of 85 mph, experience a 255 feet drop and sail through a 120-foot tunnel!
13 Fujiyama
With a total length of 6708 feet and a ride time of 3 minutes and 36 seconds, the Fujiyama coaster in Fuji-Q Highland, Japan is the longest rollercoaster in the world. It also packs a punch in height, offering a 230-foot drop!
14 Phantom’s Revenge
In Kennywood, Pennsylvania the Phantom’s Revenge coaster is the star of the show. Though it only climbs to 160 feet, it possesses a sneaky drop of 228 feet as you plummet down in to a hidden ravine!
15 Desperado
This coaster at Buffalo-Bill’s Casino Resort in Nevada is totally in the middle of nowhere, and it makes the riding experience so much more unique compared to the packed theme parks!
16 Bullet Coaster
The aptly named Buller Coaster in China’s Happy Valley Park is an airdrop ride that gives you 221 feet of free fall, around 4.5 Gs and speeds up to 83 mph. It’s almost too much for a single person to take!
17 Superman: the Ride
It may not be the tallest coaster in the world, but the 208-foot drop of Superman: The Ride at Six Flags New England is pretty hard to beat in terms of personality and downright fun!
I can’t wait for my next trip to “The Big One” at Thorpe Park. I twill have to satisfy me until I get to one of those listed above.
