Family Travel Theme Parks The 13 Fastest Roller Coasters in the World By Arthur Levine Arthur Levine Facebook Twitter Arthur is a travel writer with more than 25 years of experience. He has been covering theme parks, amusement parks, water parks, and attractions for TripSavvy since 2002. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 09/06/22 Fact checked by Leila Najafi Fact checked by Leila Najafi Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Leila is an L.A.-based luxury travel and lifestyle writer with over five years of experience covering destination guides, hotel reviews, restaurant openings, travel rewards programs, and buying guides. TripSavvy's fact-checking SB Stock / Getty Images Do you have a need for speed? Want to test your mettle against the world's speediest metal behemoths? The world's 10 fastest roller coasters are all made of steel (no “woodies” currently crack the list, but you can check out the fastest wooden roller coasters). The record-breakers come in a variety of designs, and use an assortment of launch systems to catapult their rides to the top of the list. Hang on tight. Six of the fastest roller coasters reach or exceed 100 mph. 01 of 13 Falcon’s Flight: 155+ mph Qiddiya We have a new addition to the roller coaster rankings. But since Falcon’s Flight is not supposed to open until 2023, we will leave it unranked for now. The impressive ride is not only supposed to hit a top speed north of 155 mph (250+ km/h), but at 525 feet, it would also include the world’s biggest drop. And with an announced length of 4 kilometers (just shy of 2.5 miles and yielding a three-minute journey), it would obliterate the record for the world’s longest coaster. Regardless of the stats, this is one ride for the record books. Six Flags Qiddiya, to be built near Riyadh in Saudi ArabiaMagnetic launch coaster 02 of 13 Formula Rossa: 149.1 mph Ferrari World Drivers, start your engines! The fastest roller coaster on the planet reaches an astonishing top speed of 149.1 mph (240 km/h) in 4.9 seconds flat. That, coaster fans, is fast. Formula Rossa climbs 171 feet (52m) and generates 1.7 Gs during its 92 seconds. The ride starts inside the indoor theme park, accelerates through the dome, travels outside the park, and returns to the loading station inside the building. The train's cars look like flashy red Formula One Ferraris (and travel as fast). The ride is so intense that passengers are issued goggles to protect their eyes from the desert sand. Ferrari World on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab EmiratesHydraulic launch coaster 03 of 13 Kingda Ka: 128 mph Arthur Levine. Kingda Ka is the fastest roller coaster in the United States and was the fastest coaster in the world for a few years until Formula Rossa eclipsed it. (At 456 feet, Kingda Ka is still the world's tallest roller coaster by almost 40 feet, however.) To reach its crazy-fast speed in a matter of mere seconds, the Six Flags ride uses a hydraulic launch system. If going fast is what you crave, Kingda Ka delivers. Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey Hydraulic launch rocket coaster 04 of 13 Top Thrill Dragster: 120 mph Cedar Fair Entertainment Company At 120 mph, Top Thrill Dragster has an apt racing car theme. Not only does it reach nerve-rattling speeds, its hydraulic launch system catapults riders from 0 to holy moly in no time. Top Thrill Dragster is essentially similar (if slightly slower and shorter) than Kingda Ka, but is generally smoother than the New Jersey ride. Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio Hydraulic launch rocket coaster Continue to 5 of 13 below. 05 of 13 Red Force: 112 mph (tie) PortAventura Opened in 2017 as part of Ferrari Land (part of the PortAventura resort), Red Force uses magnetic motors to launch its trains at 112 mph towards a top hat tower that looks similar to Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka. It is the fastest (and tallest) roller coaster in Europe. PortAventura, Salou, Tarragona, Spain Magnetic induction rocket coaster 06 of 13 Dodonpa: 112 mph (tie) Nikm, via Wikimedia Commons Using a compressed air launch, Dodonpa goes from 0 to 112 mph in just under two seconds. The Japanese coaster races up and down a 161-foot top hat tower at 90 degrees. The whole ride clocks in at 55 seconds. (Because they go so fast, most of the coasters on this list are fairly short in duration.) Fuji-Q Highland, Yamanashi, JapanF1 Thrust Air coaster 07 of 13 Superman: Escape from Krypton: 100 mph Six Flags Superman: Escape from Krypton has an incredible 415-foot tall tower. It holds the distinction of being the first coaster to reach 100 mph. When it debuted in 1997 (as Superman: The Escape), it was the world's tallest and fastest coaster. However, it often fell shy of its theoretical top speed of 100 mph when it was running. The prototypical ride often broke down. In 2011, Six Flags made Superman over with new cars, and it is running higher and presumably faster. It also does not have as much downtime. Note that a similar ride, Tower of Terror II (which had nothing to do with the same-named Disney drop tower ride) at Dreamworld in Queensland, Australia, also hit 100 mph but it ultimately closed in 2019. Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California Magnetic induction shuttle coaster 08 of 13 Steel Dragon 2000: 95 mph (tie) Holiday Point/Flickr/CC BY 2.0 Unlike the rides that precede it on the world's fastest roller coasters list, Steel Dragon 2000 uses a traditional lift hill (rising a remarkable 318 feet). It takes a mighty long time to climb that hill, but the payoff is a face-melting speed of 95 mph. Nagashima Spa Land, Nagashima, JapanOut and back terra-coaster Continue to 9 of 13 below. 09 of 13 Fury 325: 95 mph (tie) Carowinds At its debut in 2015, Fury 325 laid claim as the world's tallest (at, wouldn't you know it, 325 feet) “Giga-Coaster.” Like Steel Dragon 2000, Fury 325 uses a traditional lift hill to climb its enormous lift hill. Carowinds, Charlotte, North CarolinaOut and back Giga-Coaster 10 of 13 Millennium Force: 93 mph Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Cedar Point loves fast coasters. In fact, it has two that made the world's fastest thrill machines list. Reaching a (literally) dizzying 93 mph, the ride is so intense that some passengers may experience panic-stricken "grayout" moments while onboard. Oddly, after its terrifying first drop and crazy speeds, Millennium Force does not deliver any out-of-your-seat airtime that one would expect on such a potent coaster. Cedar Point, Sandusky, OhioOut and back Giga-Coaster 11 of 13 Leviathan: 92 mph Cedar Fair Entertainment Company The fastest (and tallest) coaster in Canada, Leviathan is the first Giga-Coaster from Bolliger and Mabillard, makers of super-smooth and sleek coasters. Given B&M's "track" record, it's no surprise that Leviathan is quite smooth, despite its wild speed. Canada's Wonderland, Maple, Ontario, just outside TorontoOut and back Giga-Coaster 12 of 13 Orion: 91 mph Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Opened in 2020, Orion was also manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard and offers a ride that is as captivating as the one that Leviathan delivers (even if the Ohio coaster is a tad slower). Along with standouts such as Diamondback, Banshee, and Mystic Timbers, the Giga-Coaster further establishes Kings Island as a thrill machine stronghold. Kings Island, Mason, Ohio Out and back Giga-Coaster Continue to 13 of 13 below. 13 of 13 Intimidator 305: 90 mph Arthur Levine. Another "Giga-Coaster," Intimidator 305 is all about wild height, intense G-forces, and, of course, crazy speed. Forget inversions or gimmicky features. Think insanely fast. Note that shortly after the ride opened in 2010, Kings Dominion added trim brakes which slowed its original speed of 94 mph. In 2011, Kings Dominion modified the ride and removed the trim brakes. That put it back in the speed rankings but at a slightly slower 90 mph. Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia Out and back Giga-Coaster Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email