Family Travel Theme Parks The World's Steepest Roller Coasters Written by 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 Arthur Levine Updated 11/08/19 Share Pin Email 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 10 TMNT Shellraiser at 121.5 degrees 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 10 Takabisha at 121 Degrees 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 10 Green Lantern at 120.5 Degrees 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 10 Crazy Bird at 120 Degrees Theme Park Review 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 10 below. 05 of 10 Cannibal at 116 Degrees 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 10 Timber Drop at 113 Degrees 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 10 Mumbo Jumbo at 112 Degrees 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 10 Steel Hawg at 111 Degrees 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 10 below. 09 of 10 Monster at 101 Degrees 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 10 of 10 Saw-The Ride at 100 Degrees 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit