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The tallest roller coasters in the world in 2026

Published 26 October 2026 · 7 min read · Achtbaan

Kingda Ka held the height record for almost twenty years, and then in just over a year it moved twice. Kingda Ka closed in November 2024, which left Top Thrill 2 as the tallest coaster still standing, and at the end of 2025 Falcons Flight overtook it by 33 metres. This guide lists the ten tallest coasters operating today, explains how height is measured (it is less obvious than it sounds), and covers the tallest in Europe and the tallest wooden coasters, with each ride’s Achtbaan thrill score where it is in our catalogue.

The ten tallest roller coasters in the world

Heights follow Wikipedia’s ranking of roller coasters, checked on 26 October 2026. The thrill score is Achtbaan’s 0 to 100 measure built from top speed, height, inversions and track length; the rank is each coaster’s place among the 101 operating coasters in the catalogue.

Six of the ten are in the United States, and Cedar Point alone has two. Three are not in Achtbaan’s catalogue yet: Falcons Flight, an Intamin coaster that also holds the speed and length records at about 250 km/h and 4,250 metres; Tormenta Rampaging Run, a B&M dive coaster that opened on 9 July 2026 as the tallest dive coaster ever built; and Orion, a B&M giga coaster at Kings Island from 2020. Pantherian is the giga coaster at Kings Dominion that opened as Intimidator 305 and was renamed for the 2025 season.

How roller coaster height is measured

A coaster’s height is the distance from its highest point to the ground directly below it. That sounds simple, but two things blur it.

The first is terrain. Falcons Flight is often advertised at about 200 metres, because its track runs off the edge of a desert cliff: that figure is the difference between the ride’s highest and lowest points. Its tallest hill stands 163 metres above the ground beneath it, which is the figure the rankings use.

The second is the drop. A drop can be longer than the coaster is tall when the track dives into a trench below ground level. Orion drops 91 metres from an 87-metre hill, Hyperion in Poland 82 metres from 77, and Shambhala in Spain 78 metres from 76. The opposite happens too: Fury 325 is named after its height of 325 feet (99 metres), while its first drop is 320 feet.

Height also gives coasters their class names: hyper from 61 metres, giga from 91 and strata from 122. Our guide to the types of roller coasters explains each class. Falcons Flight and Top Thrill 2 are both past the strata mark, and Intamin calls Falcons Flight’s model an Exa Coaster.

Kingda Ka and the record that changed hands

Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey was the tallest roller coaster in the world from 2005: a 139-metre top hat reached by a hydraulic launch. It closed on 10 November 2024 and was demolished in February 2025, so Achtbaan keeps it in the catalogue for ride logs but no longer ranks it.

That left Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point as the tallest. It is the 130-metre tower of Top Thrill Dragster, which opened in 2003 and was rebuilt by Zamperla to reopen in 2024 with three launches, forwards and backwards. It is also the highest-scoring coaster on Achtbaan, with 64 out of 100. Kingda Ka’s park is building a successor: Bakunawa, a 116-metre coaster by Mack Rides due in 2027, which on today’s list would rank third.

The tallest roller coasters in Europe

Red Force at Ferrari Land, part of PortAventura World near Salou in Spain, is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Europe. It opened on 7 April 2017, launches to 180 km/h and climbs a 112-metre tower, and it is Europe’s only giga coaster: no other European coaster reaches 91 metres.

Below it the gap is large. The next three in Achtbaan’s catalogue are all hyper coasters of about 75 metres: Hyperion at Energylandia in Poland (77 metres), Shambhala at PortAventura Park (76 metres), which was Europe’s tallest when it opened in 2012, and Silver Star at Europa-Park in Germany (73 metres), which held that title from 2002. Red Force and Shambhala stand in the same resort, so you can ride two of Europe’s tallest on one trip. For comparison, the tallest Dutch coaster in the catalogue, Goliath at Walibi Holland, is 46 metres; our guide to roller coasters in the Netherlands ranks all six.

The tallest wooden roller coasters

Wood tops out far lower than steel. Two coasters share the wooden record at 56 metres: Wildfire at Kolmården Wildlife Park in Sweden, a Rocky Mountain Construction coaster from 2016 that is also Europe’s fastest wooden coaster at 115 km/h, with three inversions; and Monimo RUSH at Everland in South Korea, from 2008, which was called T Express until April 2026. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure follows at 55 metres, on prefabricated wooden track with a 76-degree first drop. Our guide to steel, wooden and hybrid coasters explains why wood rides so differently.

Does taller mean more thrilling?

Not on its own. Height makes up 28 percent of Achtbaan’s thrill score, next to speed, track length and inversions, and the rankings show how much the other three matter. Top Thrill 2 leads with 64, but second place goes to Formula Rossa, only 52 metres tall, because it launches to 240 km/h over 2,200 metres of track. Eejanaika in Japan, at 76 metres, is third with 61 thanks to 14 inversions. And Steel Dragon 2000 outscores the taller Red Force, 59 to 57, because its track is almost three times as long. Our guide to what makes a roller coaster thrilling goes deeper.

Riding the giants: practical tips

• Ride them early. The tallest coasters are among the first to close in strong wind or a thunderstorm, so do not leave them for the end of the day.
• Group them by trip. Cedar Point and Kings Island are both in Ohio, so three of the ten (Top Thrill 2, Millennium Force and Orion) fit into one trip. In Europe, Red Force and Shambhala are in the same resort, PortAventura World.
• Know what you are signing up for. On a launched tower like Top Thrill 2 or Red Force, the climb is over in seconds; on a lift-hill giga like Fury 325 or Millennium Force, you have time to look down. If height is what makes you nervous, our beginners guide suggests coasters to start with.
• Log them as you go. Mark each coaster as ridden in your ride log and the park planner shows which park still holds the most you have not ridden. Flying out from Amsterdam? Our sister site SchipholParking.info compares the parking options at Schiphol.

Frequently asked questions

What is the tallest roller coaster in the world?

Falcons Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, which opened on 31 December 2025. Its tallest hill stands 163 metres above the ground. It is sometimes advertised at about 200 metres, but that is the difference between its highest and lowest points, because the track runs down a cliff.

What is the tallest roller coaster in Europe?

Red Force at Ferrari Land in Spain, part of PortAventura World near Salou. It launches up a 112-metre tower at 180 km/h, opened in 2017, and is Europe’s only giga coaster, so nothing else in Europe comes close to its height.

What is the tallest wooden roller coaster?

Two share the record at 56 metres: Wildfire at Kolmården Wildlife Park in Sweden, from 2016, and Monimo RUSH at Everland in South Korea, from 2008 and known as T Express until April 2026. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure in the United States follows at 55 metres.

Is Kingda Ka still the tallest roller coaster?

No. Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, 139 metres tall and the record holder from 2005, closed on 10 November 2024 and was demolished in February 2025. The park is building Bakunawa, a 116-metre coaster by Mack Rides that is due to open in 2027.

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