The World's Steepest Roller Coasters

For those seeking a huge adrenalin rush, it makes perfect sense to seek out the world's fastest coasters or the world's tallest coasters. What thrill-seekers wouldn't want to tackle insane speeds or extreme heights, attributes that are intrinsic to these venerable rides? But coasters with drops that are beyond 90 degrees? What's the point?

After all, roller coasters with inversions such as loops or corkscrews have been sending riders careening head over heels into full 360-degree acrobatic maneuvers for years. Still, there's something wild about cresting a coaster hill and not being able to see the bottom of the steeper-than-freefall drop. And it can be weird and wonderful to experience the drop with the front of the train angling inward as it barrels down the hill.

So which coasters are the steepest, meaning the angle of descent of the rides' primary drops? Here's the countdown to the steepest roller coasters.

01 of 11

TMNT Shellraiser at 121.5 degrees

TMNT Shellraiser coaster at Nickelodeon Universe in New Jersey — Arthur Levine

We have a new winner in the crazy-steep coaster category: Shellraiser, themed to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which opened in 2019 at Nickelodeon Universe, the largest indoor theme park in North America. It tops the list by dropping a mere half of a degree more than the coasters that follow it. To make the ride even more interesting, its cars hang over the edge of its 141-foot tower for 14 seconds before diving into the overbanked drop. Oh, and it includes a magnetic launch that accelerates the cars from 0 to 62 mph in two seconds. Cowabunga!

Location: Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Type: Launched Euro-Fighter coaster
Height: 141 feet
Top speed: 62 mph

02 of 11

Takabisha at 121 Degrees

Takabisha roller coaster — Alex Brogan/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0

Like TMNT Shellraiser, Takabisha is a custom Euro-Fighter (a model of a coaster from the manufacturer, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides) and is also a launched coaster. Instead of using a traditional lift hill, it uses magnetic launch motors to blast its cars from 0 to 62 mph in 2 seconds. In addition to holding the second spot for the highest angle of descent, a crazy 121 degrees, the coaster also offers seven inversions and a nearly 2-minute ride.

Fuji-Q Highland, a major park in Japan, offers a number of record-seeking coasters, including Dodonpa, one of the fastest roller coasters in the world, and Fujiyama, one of the longest and tallest roller coasters in the world.

Location: Fuji-Q Highland, Fujiyoshida, Japan
Type: Launched Euro-Fighter coaster
Height: 141 feet
Top speed: 62 mph

03 of 11

Green Lantern at 120.5 Degrees

Green Lantern roller coaster — Phalinn Ooi/themeparkgc/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0

This is an "El Loco" model from the manufacturer, S&S Worldwide. In addition to its crazy-steep drop, it also includes Wild Mouse-style hairpin turns. There are conflicting reports about the actual angle of descent, with numbers ranging from 120 degrees to more than 122 degrees. We'll split the difference, and settle on 120.5 degrees.

Location: Warner Bros. Movie World, Queensland, Australia
Type: Steel coaster
Top speed: 41 mph

04 of 11

Crazy Bird at 120 Degrees

One of the world's steepest coasters is inside an indoor theme park in China. In addition to its beyond-90-degree drop, Crazy Bird includes two inversions: A dive loop and an in-line twist.

Location: Happy Valley, Tianjin, China
Type: El Loco-style coaster
Height: 98 feet

Continue to 5 of 11 below.

05 of 11

Cannibal at 116 Degrees

Cannibal roller coaster at Lagoon — Lagoon

Opened in 2015, Cannibal features an enclosed, vertical lift hill and an incredibly steep 116-degree drop. It is one of the highlights at Lagoon.

Location: Lagoon, Farmington, Utah
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 208 feet
Top speed: 70 mph

06 of 11

Timber Drop at 113 Degrees

Timber Drop roller coaster — Freddo/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

Another "El Loco" model, Timber Drop features similar specs and offers a similar ride to Green Lantern (and other El Loco rides on this list).

Location: Fraispertuis City, France
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 59 feet
Top speed: 41 mph

07 of 11

Mumbo Jumbo at 112 Degrees

Mumbo Jumbo roller coaster — Martin Lewison/The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

Similar to Steel Hawg (next on the list) and made by the same manufacturer, Mumbo Jumbo climbs about as high, goes about as fast, and is not a Euro-Fighter. It also shuttles back and forth in a compact space and features Wild Mouse-like hairpin turns.

Location: Flamingo Land, Malton, UK
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 98 feet

08 of 11

Steel Hawg at 111 Degrees

Steel Hawg roller coaster — Patrick McGarvey/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

Another one of the few non-Euro-Fighter models on the steepest coaster countdown, Steel Hawg also uses single-car trains (with a total of four passengers). Unlike many of the other coasters on this list, Steel Hawg incorporates Wild Mouse-style hairpin turns to amp up the thrills.

Location: Indiana Beach, Monticello, Indiana
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 96 feet
Top speed: 41 mph

Continue to 9 of 11 below.

09 of 11

Defiance at 102.3 Degrees

Defiance at Glenwood Caverns — Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Scheduled to open in 2022 at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, this custom Euro-Fighter from Gerstlauer Amusement Rides will be located 1,300 feet above the Colorado River atop Iron Mountain. It will provide incredible, panoramic views before it takes its beyond-vertical plunge into a ravine. Defiance will also include two inversions, disorienting passengers at very high altitudes.

Location: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 75 feet, with 110-foot drop
Top speed: 56 mph

10 of 11

Monster at 101 Degrees

Monster coaster at Adventureland — Adventureland

Monster was manufactured by the same company that builds the Euro-Fighter coasters, but it is a different model. Unlike most of the Euro-Fighters on this list, the Adventureland ride reaches a robust 65 mph and includes five inversions.

Location: Adventureland Park, Altoona, Iowa
Type: Steel coaster
Height: 133 feet
Top speed: 65 mph

11 of 11

Saw-The Ride at 100 Degrees

Saw coaster at Thorpe Park — Bigbosspatch/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

The custom Euro-Fighter is themed to the grisly Saw movies. In addition to the usual coaster mayhem, there are some set pieces, including rotating saw blades, to accentuate the theme.

Location: Thorpe Park, Chertsey, UK
Type: Euro-Fighter coaster
Height: 100 feet
Top speed: 55 mph