List of the World's Most Incredibly Scary Roller Coasters

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who are scared of roller coasters, and those who would never stop riding them if they could. Depending on the speed, height, and steepness of the turns, roller coasters can be either exhilarating or terrifying.

Buckle up, because we're about to begin our look at the scariest roller coasters in the world, with a video that will make you fear heights.

10. Colossus, England

People who have recently eaten or suffer from seasickness should avoid boarding Colossus, which is England's scariest rollercoaster, which makes a record 10 loops in less than two minutes.

The last of these loops occurs just when you think the ride is over and you can put your heart back in its place. The ride is one of the 10 scariest rides in the world.

9. Steel Dragon 2000, Japan

Built in 2000 (the Chinese New Year) at the Nagashima Spa Land amusement park, the Steel Dragon is best known for its first climb, which takes more than a minute before the cars plunge 93 meters (300 ft) down. The cars reach a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) during the dizzying ride.

Steel Dragon is one of the world's longest roller coasters, spanning 2,478 metres and taking over four minutes to complete. But it's that first "hill" and its steep descent that makes Snake one of the scariest roller coasters around.

8. Kingda Ka, USA

If the fall of the Steel Snake was terrifying, then Kingda Ka is absolutely terrifying. It is the tallest roller coaster in the world, reaching 139 meters (or 45 floors) in length, and is thus closer to the sky than any Egyptian pyramid. Sometimes this leads to unpleasant incidents.

For example, on July 26, 2012, a boy was sent to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries in a collision with a bird. The ride was briefly interrupted, but then resumed normal operation.

Kingda Ka is also one of the fastest rides in the world, with carts accelerating to over 200 km/h in 3.5 seconds.

7. Bizzaro (aka The Superman The Ride and Superman - Ride of Steel), USA

A roller coaster once known as Superman's evil twin and nemesis is bound to be pretty scary. Even though Bizzaro is only 63 meters tall, it's one of the scariest coasters in the world thanks to two factors:

  1. The falling speed of the minecarts is astonishing - 124 km/h.
  2. The sides of the cars only reach up to the passengers' ankles, leaving them feeling exposed and full of adrenaline.

6. Formula Rossa, UAE

Built at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, right above the Formula 1 race track, this ride is the world's fastest roller coaster as it tries to emulate the thrill of racing in a real red Ferrari.

To achieve this, Formula Rossa uses a hydraulic launch system similar to that used by aircraft carrier-based fighter jets to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h within the first two seconds of flight.

Although the coaster cannot maintain its 240 km/h speed for most of the ride, riders in the front seat of the "cars" are required to wear protective goggles.

5. Phantom's Revenge, USA

Like Bizzaro, Phantom's Revenge's claim to being the world's scariest roller coaster has less to do with its height and more to do with the speed of its fall.

Phantom's Revenge can hurtle down and under another roller coaster's support at speeds of 85 mph.

It happens so fast and so frantically that it makes passengers believe, at least for a moment, that they might be decapitated when their ride fails to fit through a gap under another ride.

4. Yukon Striker, Canada

This roller coaster opened only recently, in 2019, but has already earned a reputation as one of the most interesting and scary rides in the world.

The length of the steel strip is 1105 meters, and the lifting height is 68 meters. And the cars travel at a speed of 130 kilometers per hour.

Yukon Striker is currently the only Dive Coaster in the world that features a 360-degree loop. Unlike other roller coasters, which take the ride up a lift slide to the first drop, Dive Coaster takes the ride up to a flat section of the track. From there, a holding brake stops the ride before the vertical drop, giving riders time to marvel at the thrill of the ride before they plummet.

3. Expedition GeForce, Germany

GeForce isn't known for its speed or height (though it has both). Instead, the German-born roller coaster gets most of its thrills from its simple geometry, sending riders careening down an 82-degree slope.

In 2010, the fourth car derailed during the launch of GeForce. No reasonable explanation was found for how or why this happened. Although no one was seriously injured, they all had to be rescued by firefighters.

2. The Bullet Coaster, China

The fastest roller coaster in China and the fifth fastest roller coaster in Asia is the star attraction of the Happy Valley theme park in Shenzhen.

The Bullet Coaster is about as tall as a 20-story building, except it doesn't have five huge "humps" so steep that you'll feel your stomach rise up into your throat.

To top it all off, the cars travel at 135 km/h, and the shrill screams of excited and frightened passengers constantly echo throughout the park.

1. Dodonpa, Japan

This roller coaster uses compressed air to propel its trains and still holds the record for the fastest acceleration of any roller coaster in the world.

It accelerates the trolleys from 0 to 180 kilometers per hour in 1.8 seconds. As a result, passengers experience overloads of up to 3.3 g. In comparison, astronauts experience only 3 g at launch, although for a much longer period of time.

The force of that initial acceleration alone should be enough to thrill even the most hardcore roller coaster fan.