Roller coasters are amusement rides developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. Early iterations during the 16th and 17th centuries, popularized in Russia, involved wooden sleds that carried riders down large slides made from ice. The first roller coasters to attach a train to a wooden track appeared in France in the early 1800s. Although wooden roller coasters are still being produced, steel roller coasters were introduced in the mid-20th-century and eventually became more common. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest rides to attract thrill seekers and boost park attendance. Ranked by height, speed, length, and number of inversions, roller coasters often became the focal point for competing parks. Computer-simulated models led to innovations that produced more intense thrills while improving quality and durability. The debut of Magnum XL-200 in 1989 at Cedar Point introduced the first complete-circuit roller coaster to exceed in height, marking a pivot point in the industry and a new era sometimes referred to as the Coaster Wars. This period saw increasing competition as parks sought to be the latest to set a new world record, and some records were held for less than a year.

The pace of competition eventually slowed, however. The now-defunct Kingda Ka, previously the tallest coaster in the world at , held the height record from 2005 until its closure in 2024. Formula Rossa, formerly the world's fastest at , held the speed record for 15 years. Steel Dragon 2000, with its track length of , was the longest in the world for more than 25 years. These records were eventually surpassed by Falcons Flight in 2025, which opened as the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the world. Other notables include The Beast, the world's longest wooden coaster since its opening in 1979, featuring a track length of , and The Smiler, which set a world record with fourteen inversions in 2013.

Key + KeyKeyMeaning1Record holder**Under construction*Still exists but not operating

Height rankings

Tallest steel roller coasters +Tallest steel roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Height Manufacturer Record held 1 Falcons Flight Six Flags Qiddiya City Intamin December 2025 – present 2 Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point Intamin/Zamperla May 2003 – May 2005November 2024 – December 2025**BakunawaSix Flags Great AdventureMack Rides 3 Red Force Ferrari Land Intamin 4 Fury 325 Carowinds Bolliger & Mabillard 5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 6 Millennium Force Cedar Point Intamin 7 Tormenta Rampaging Run Six Flags Over Texas Bolliger & Mabillard 8 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland Bolliger & Mabillard 9 Pantherian Kings Dominion Intamin 10 Orion Kings Island Bolliger & Mabillard

Longest steel roller coaster drops +Longest steel roller coaster drops Rank Name Park Country Drop length Manufacturer Record held 1 Falcons Flight Six Flags Qiddiya City Intamin December 2025 – present 2 Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point Intamin/Zamperla May 2003 – May 2005November 2024 – December 2025 3 Red Force Ferrari Land ~ Intamin 4 Fury 325 Carowinds Bolliger & Mabillard 5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land D. H. Morgan Manufacturing 6 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland Bolliger & Mabillard 7 Millennium Force Cedar Point Intamin Orion Kings Island Bolliger & Mabillard Pantherian Kings Dominion Intamin 10 Tormenta Rampaging Run Six Flags Over Texas Bolliger & Mabillard

Tallest wooden roller coasters +Tallest wooden roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Height Manufacturer Record held 1 Monimo RUSH Everland Intamin June 2009 – present Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park Rocky Mountain Construction June 2016 – present 3 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure Intamin 4 Goliath Six Flags Great America Rocky Mountain Construction 5 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park Intamin 6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari The Gravity Group 7 Jupiter Kijima Kogen Intamin 8 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park The Gravity Group 9 Wodan Timbur Coaster Europa-Park Great Coasters International 10 Le Monstre La Ronde Martin & Vleminckx July 1985 – March 1990

Longest wooden roller coaster drops +Longest wooden roller coaster drops Rank Name Park Country Drop length Manufacturer Record held 1 Goliath Six Flags Great America Rocky Mountain Construction June 2014 – present 2 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure Intamin June 2009 – June 2014 3 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City Rocky Mountain Construction 4 Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park Rocky Mountain Construction 5 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park Intamin 6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari The Gravity Group 7 Monimo RUSH Everland Intamin 8 The Boss Six Flags St. Louis Custom Coasters International 9 American Eagle Six Flags Great America Intamin May 1981 – May 1991 10 The Beast Kings Island Kings Island April 1979 – May 1981

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Speed rankings

Fastest steel roller coasters + Fastest steel roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Speed Manufacturer Record held 1 Falcons Flight Six Flags Qiddiya City Intamin December 2025 – present 2 Formula Rossa Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Intamin November 2010 – December 2025 3 Top Thrill 2 Cedar Point Intamin/Zamperla May 2003 – May 2005 4 Red Force Ferrari Land Intamin **BakunawaSix Flags Great Adventure Mack Rides 5 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land D. H. Morgan Manufacturing Fury 325 Carowinds Bolliger & Mabillard 7 Millennium Force Cedar Point Intamin 8 Leviathan Canada's Wonderland Bolliger & Mabillard 9 Orion Kings Island Bolliger & Mabillard 10 Pantherian Kings Dominion Intamin

Fastest wooden roller coasters +Fastest wooden roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Speed Manufacturer Record held 1 Goliath Six Flags Great America Rocky Mountain Construction June 2014 – June 2016September 2020 – present 2 Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park Rocky Mountain Construction 3 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure Intamin June 2009 – June 2014 4 Colossos - Kampf der Giganten Heide Park Intamin 5 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City Rocky Mountain Construction 6 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari The Gravity Group 7 The Boss Six Flags St. Louis Custom Coasters International April 2000 – May 2000 8 American Eagle Six Flags Great America Intamin May 1981 – April 2000 9 The Beast Kings Island Kings Island April 1979 – May 1981 10 Monimo RUSH Everland Intamin

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Length rankings

Longest steel roller coasters +Longest steel roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Length Manufacturer Record held 1 Falcons Flight Six Flags Qiddiya City Intamin December 2025 – present 2 Steel Dragon 2000 Nagashima Spa Land D. H. Morgan Manufacturing August 2000 – December 2025 3 Formula Rossa Ferrari World Abu Dhabi Intamin 4 Fujiyama Fuji-Q Highland TOGO 5 Fury 325 Carowinds Bolliger & Mabillard 6 Millennium Force Cedar Point Intamin 7 Incredicoaster Disney California Adventure Intamin * Desperado Buffalo Bill's Arrow Dynamics 8 Steel Vengeance Cedar Point Rocky Mountain Construction 9 Mamba Worlds of Fun D. H. Morgan Manufacturing Steel Force Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom D. H. Morgan Manufacturing

Longest wooden roller coasters +Longest wooden roller coasters Rank Name Park Country Length Manufacturer Record held 1 The Beast Kings Island Kings Island April 1979 – present 2 The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari The Gravity Group 3 Monimo RUSH Everland Intamin 4 Shivering Timbers Michigan's Adventure Custom Coasters International 5 Jupiter Kijima Amusement Park Intamin 6 Python in Bamboo Forest Nanchang Sunac Land Great Coasters International 7 Wood Coaster Knight Valley Great Coasters International 8 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park The Gravity Group 9 Boulder Dash Lake Compounce Custom Coasters International 10 American Eagle Six Flags Great America Intamin

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Inversion rankings This listing contains all types of roller coaster inversions.

Steel roller coasters +Most inversions on a steel roller coaster Rank Name Park Country Inversions Manufacturer Record held 1 The Smiler Alton Towers 14 Gerstlauer May 2013 – present * Eleventh Roller Coaster Great Xingdong Tourist World 11 Hebei Zhongye 2 Altair Cinecittà World 10 Intamin Colossus Thorpe Park Intamin March 2002 – May 2013 Crazy Coaster Locajoy Holiday Intamin Velikolukskiy Myasokombinat-2 Wonder Island Intamin Sik Flamingo Land Intamin * LightSpeed Wonderland Eurasia 10 Intamin 7 AlpenFury Canada's Wonderland 9 Premier Rides 8 Avalancha Xetulul 8 Intamin Dragon Khan PortAventura Park Bolliger & Mabillard May 1995 – March 2002 Steel Curtain Kennywood S&S - Sansei Technologies

Wooden roller coasters +Most inversions on a wooden roller coaster Rank Name Park Country Inversions Manufacturer Record held 1 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City 3 Rocky Mountain Construction March 2013 – present Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park Rocky Mountain Construction June 2016 – present 2 Goliath Six Flags Great America 2 Rocky Mountain Construction 3 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park 1 The Gravity Group Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Ningbo Martin & Vleminckx Rides Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Wuhu Martin & Vleminckx Rides Jungle Trailblazer Oriental Heritage, Jinan Martin & Vleminckx Rides Mine Blower Fun Spot America: Kissimmee The Gravity Group

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Drop angle rankings

Steel roller coasters +Steepest drop angle on a steel roller coaster Rank Name Park Country Drop angle Manufacturer Record held 1 TMNT Shellraiser Nickelodeon Universe 121.5° Gerstlauer October 2019 – present 2 Takabisha Fuji-Q Highland 121.0° Gerstlauer 15 July 2011 – October 2019 3 Green Lantern Coaster Warner Bros. Movie World 120.5° S&S Worldwide 4 Crazy Bird Happy Valley Tianjin 120.0° S&S Worldwide 5 Cannibal Lagoon 116.0° Lagoon Corporation 6 Timber Drop Fraispertuis City 113.0° S&S Worldwide 2 July 2011 – 14 July 2011 7 Mumbo Jumbo Flamingo Land Resort 112.0° S&S Worldwide July 2009 – 1 July 2011 8 Steel Hawg Indiana Beach 111.0° S&S Worldwide July 2008 – July 2009 9 Defiance Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park 102.3° Gerstlauer 10 Monster Adventureland 101.0° Gerstlauer Toutatis Parc Astérix Intamin

Wooden roller coasters +Steepest drop angle on a wooden roller coaster Rank Name Park Country Drop angle Manufacturer Record held 1 Goliath Six Flags Great America 85.0° Rocky Mountain Construction June 2014 – October 2015, August 2025 – present 2 Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park 83.0° Rocky Mountain Construction 3 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City 81.0° Rocky Mountain Construction March 2013 – June 2014 4 Monimo RUSH Everland 77.0° Intamin March 2008 – March 2013 5 El Toro Six Flags Great Adventure 76.0° Intamin June 2006 – March 2008 6 Balder Liseberg 70.0° Intamin April 2003 – June 2006 7 Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 66.0° The Gravity Group 8 Hades 360 Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park 65.0° The Gravity Group Cú Chulainn Emerald Park The Gravity Group 10 Hala Madrid Real Madrid World 63.9° Great Coasters International

Notes

References

External links

Roller coaster census at the Roller Coaster DataBase Top 100 roller coasters on CoasterBuzz