Largest Roller Coasters In The World

For this list, we are gonna look at the largest and biggest roller coasters in the world.

1. Kingda Ka

When it opened in 2005, Kingda Ka was the world's fastest (at 128 mph) and tallest roller coaster. It doesn't come close to the record for the world's longest coaster ride.

2. Top Thrill Dragster

It sits smack in the middle of Cedar Point’s midway, and is almost as much fun to watch as it is to ride. Before it takes off like a bullet, huge racing lights on its tower build anticipation by changing from red to yellow to green. At 30 seconds in duration, the coaster is even shorter than Kingda Ka.

3. Red Force

Like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka, Red Force has a top-hat tower that goes straight up and straight down. Unlike those rides, the Spanish coaster uses magnetic motors instead of hydraulic propulsion to launch it out of the loading station. Red Force features a Ferrari theme and, appropriately enough, hits 112 mph in 5 breathtaking seconds.

4. Superman: Escape from Krypton

Tied with Australia's Tower of Terror (which follows), Superman has a taller (415 feet) tower. It holds the distinction of being the first coaster to drop more than 300 feet and to feature a tower over 400 feet. When it debuted in 1997 (as Superman: The Escape), it was also the world's fastest coaster. Problem was, it often fell shy of its theoretical top speed of 100 mph and far shy of the top of its 415-foot tower. Even worse, the groundbreaking ride often ground to a halt and experienced a lot of downtime.

5. Tower of Terror

Using linear synchronous motors, Tower of Terror (which bears no resemblance to the same-named Disney World drop tower ride) shoots straight and up an L-shaped track, slows as it reaches the top (and delivers a huge pop of free-floating airtime), and then retraces its route backwards to the loading station.

6. Fury 325

Known as a "Giga-Coaster" (for surpassing 300 feet in height), Fury 325 debuted in 2015. It makes quite a splash at the front of Carowinds when it passes under the path leading to the front gate. The crazy-high coaster uses a traditional lift hill to climb its enormous lift hill. In addition to its impressive stats—it drops at a disarming 81 degrees and tops out at 95 mph—Fury 325 is acknowledged by park enthusiasts as being among the world’s best roller coasters.

7. Steel Dragon 2000

As with Fury 325, Steel Dragon 2000 uses a traditional lift hill (rising an incredible 318 feet) and gravity to propel it to a face-melting speed of 95 mph. At four minutes and with a length of 8133' feet, the coaster is the world's longest. Steel Dragon 2000 is located at Nagashima Spa Land, one of Japan’s premier thrill ride destinations. The ark boasts a total of 12 roller coasters.

8. Leviathan

Another entrant in the relatively limited Giga-Coaster field, Leviathan was the first to meet the specifications from Bolliger and Mabillard, makers of super-smooth and sleek coasters. (The company also manufactured Fury 325.) While the ride is incredibly tall and incredibly fast, given B&M's "track" record, it's also incredibly smooth. Leviathan is the tallest roller coaster in Canada.

9. Millennium Force

Cedar Point's second entry on the world's tallest coasters list is a more traditional thrill machine (although Millennium Force uses an elevator cable instead of a lift chain to more quickly move its trains up its mammoth 310-foot hill). Accelerating to 93 mph, the coaster is so intense that some passengers experience a brief moment of "grayout" at the bottom of the first drop.

10. Intimidator 305

Like Millennium Force, the original Giga-Coaster at sister park, Cedar Point, Intimidator 305 is all about crazy speed, intense G-forces, and wild height. Heck, it brags about its wacky height right in the name. Intimidator 305 does not include any inversions, nor does it incorporate any gimmicky features such as a hydraulic launch or onboard audio. But it does go insanely high and rattles riders with enough positive Gs to, well, intimidate the heck out of them. Read our review of Intimidator 305.

11. Hyperion

Scheduled to open in 2018, Hyperion will fly at a ferocious 88 mph. Its first drop will be at a nearly vertical 84 degrees. The Polish park Energylandia, is also opening a second coaster, Speed, in 2018. Despite its name, Hyperion will actually top its speed. At 164 feet, however, Speed will will reach impressive heights in its own right.

12. Coaster Through the Clouds

As with Millennium Force, the massive Coaster Through the Clouds uses a cable lift to more quickly get its trains up its 243-foot lift hill. It is the tallest coaster in China. At 85 mph, it is also the country's fastest coaster.

13. Shambhala

The mountain-expedition themed coaster is also one of the world's fastest (at 83 mph). Shambhala rises 249 but drops 256 feet because it enters an underground tunnel at the bottom of its first drop. It includes five airtime hills, the smallest of which is 70 feet (which is bigger than some coasters’ highest point). Read more about Shambhala.

14. Goliath

It may be tall, fast, and loaded with G-forces. But that doesn't mean Goliath is loaded with fun. In fact, with its punishing double helix, a ride aboard the coaster could be loaded with discomfort and dread. Read our review of Goliath.

15. Titan

The 3-minute-and-30-second ride, which uses a traditional lift chain, soars down a 255-foot first drop, reaches a top speed of 85 mph (which places it among the world's fastest coasters as well as the tallest), and zooms through a 120-foot long tunnel. It is manufactured by the same company that designed and built Goliath and shares similar specs with the Magic Mountain ride.

16. SkyScraper

We used to list this never-opened ride at the top of the page in the first position. At one time, it appeared that construction crews were actually going to build all 570 feet of SkyScraper. In anticipation of its eventual debut, we gave it the number-one spot on our tallest coaster rundown. Now that it's been delayed a number of times, it appears that the project is defunct, however. That's why we've moved it to the bottom of the list. SkyScraper would have reportedly climbed a 570-foot observation tower. It would have supposedly reached speeds of 65 mph, and its plans called for inversions. The ride would have been located at the SkyPlex on International Drive in Orlando. Although it's unlikely it will ever take passengers up 570 feet into the air, you can read more about the plans for what would have been the world's tallest roller coaster in Florida.