Top 10(ish): 2026 Edition - page 132

[Trax]

After concluding my North American Mega Hyper Gigatrip, I can now finally announce that it happened. Hyperion was my 200th rollercoaster, and had the #1 spot since my first ride. Exactly 800 coasters later, it has finally been dethrowned. I'd love to go against the mainstream, but I objectivlely can't.
My Top 10 as of today:

1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
2. Hyperion, Energylandia
3. DC Rivals Hypercoaster, WB Movie World
4. Leviathan, Canada's Wonderland
5. ArieForce One, FunSpot Atlanta
6. Taiga, Linnanmäki
7. Shambala, Port Aventura
8. Helix, Liseberg
9. Voltron, Europa-Park
10. Toutatis, Parc Asterix

Judging from the amount of #1 spots Steel Vengeance has, I doubt that I will dethrone it within the next 800 creds. Well, there is one spite that might be able to challenge it... #305

 

[Heth]

Following my recent Benelux trip, and now having reached 100+ coasters, I now have my top 10 as follows:

1. Taron - Phantasialand
2. Kondaa - Walibi Belgium
3. Helix - Liseberg
4. Baron 1898 - Efteling
5. Joris en de Draak - Efteling (5., 6. and 7. are slightly interchangeable)
6. Wodan - Europa Park
7. Balder - Liseberg
8. Stealth - Thorpe Park
9. Hyperia - Thorpe Park
10. FLY - Phantasialand

Mechalodon at Walibi Belgium is a potential contender for no. 10, I am not sure which I prefer, but for now I am giving the points to FLY due to the theming.

Theming, re-rideability, story, music etc. all contribute to what's on this list, not just the track itself.

 

[The_bullgod]

After finally reaching 400 earlier this week, this will be my top 10:

1. Wildfire - Kolmarden
2. Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland de Panne
3. Zadra - Energylandia
4. Taiga - Linnanmaki
5. Helix - Liseberg
6. Lech Coaster - Legendia
7. Shambhala - Port Aventura
8. Nemesis - Alton Towers
9. Hyperion - Energylandia
10. Batman Gotham City Escape – Parque Warner Madrid

And just outside my top 10 are Untamed (Walibi Holland) and Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa)

 

[Snoo]

Just to follow up in the new year.. I updated the thread title.. that I created TWELVE years ago.. and adding my Top 10 so I remember!

1 Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point
2 Jurassic World Velocicoaster - Islands of Adventure
3 Voyage - Holiday World
4 Hyperion - Energylandia
5 Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa
6 Wildcat's Revenge - HersheyPark
7 Fury 325 - Carowinds
8 Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce
9 Zadra - Energylandia
10 Twisted Timbers - Kings Dominion

11 Fønix - Farup Sommerland
12 SkyRush - Hersheypark
13 Batman The Ride - Six Flags Over Georgia
14 Tatsu - Six Flags Magic Mountain
15 Pantheon - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
16 Wildfire - Kolmarden
17 Outlaw Run - Silver Dollar City
18 Afterburn - Carowinds
19 Prowler - Worlds of Fun
20 Goliath - Six Flags Great America
21 Arie Force One - Fun Spot America
22 Mamba - Worlds of Fun
23 Storm Chaser - Kentucky Kingdom
24 Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
25 Iron Rattler - Six Flags Fiesta Texas
26 Mystic Timbers - Kings Island
27 Renegade - Valleyfair
28 Goliath - Six Flags Over Georgia
29 Piraten - Djurs Sommerland
30 Lightning Rod - Dollywood

Added 92 creds in my recent 2 week European adventure! Some amazing rides and scavenging of England with only one place I've been to before. CC up to 642!

1 Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point
2 Jurassic World Velocicoaster - Islands of Adventure
3 Batman Gotham City Escape - Parque Warner Madrid
4 The Voyage - Holiday World
5 Hyperion - Energylandia
6 Taiga - Linnanmaki
7 Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa
8 Hyperia - Thorpe Park
9 Wildcat's Revenge - HersheyPark
10 Fury 325 - Carowinds

11 Boulder Dash - Lake Compounce
12 Zadra - Energylandia
13 Untamed - Walibi Holland
14 Twisted Timbers - Kings Dominion
15 Fønix - Farup Sommerland
16 SkyRush - Hersheypark
17 Batman The Ride - Six Flags Over Georgia
18 Tatsu - Six Flags Magic Mountain
19 Pantheon - Busch Gardens Williamsburg
20 Wildfire - Kolmarden
21 Outlaw Run - Silver Dollar City
22 Afterburn - Carowinds
23 Prowler - Worlds of Fun
24 Arie Force One - Fun Spot America
25 Mamba - Worlds of Fun
26 Storm Chaser - Kentucky Kingdom
27 Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
28 Iron Rattler - Six Flags Fiesta Texas
29 Mystic Timbers - Kings Island
30 Renegade - Valleyfair


GCE absolutely blew my mind. LOVED the ejector, the pacing, the incredibly unique elements. Couldn't ask for better. No ERT here but still managed 10+ rides.

Taiga hype was real and it delivered. The airtime wasn't QUITE what I heard but still sexy of course. Helped a bit by some ERT on it as well. Had around 10 or so rides on it all over the place.

Hyperia was probably THE surprise of the trip. I knew the others but didn't hear much about Hyperia except for its negatives, which is the ONLY reason its not higher. Yes its short. Yes it ends abruptly. Yes the pacing towards the finish is wonky.. but it has THE best drop in the world, hands down without question. THE best STALL in the world, holy ****. THE best fan turn in the world, sustained ejector for that entire thing. If this was longer? Depending on what they would do, probably #1.. but alas, the detractors do have it. That said, I did get 19+ rides during an ERT session where Thorpe set an hour long train dispatch record with 55 dispatches. What an amazing day.

Untamed is the one coaster I've been on but was disappointed with. It did NOT disappoint this time. Rocketed up to 13 after a fantastic showing on just a hot ass day at WH. Short lines meant re-rides galore. Enjoyed it much more than last time.

 

[TheAverageJuel]

Brand new Top 10 after riding AlpenFury:

01. AlpenFury, Canada's Wonderland. It. Is. Incredible. The greatest roller coaster that I have ridden, and the greatest ride in Canada. Upside down ejector airtime, punchy ass launches that'll steal your lunch if you're not careful, and nine mind-bending inversions. Holy. ****.
02. Storm Runner, Hersheypark. After three months, the king has been dethroned. But that doesn't mean it's not an incredible roller coaster. It still is.
03. Wildcat's Revenge, Hersheypark. The most insane RMC I've ever ridden. Not very tall but every element hits like a truck at 90 mph. An incredible hybrid coaster.
04. Maverick, Cedar Point. Still the same bucking bronco it was nearly 20 years ago. It has ejector airtime, and the second launch just HITS. I'm getting repetitive, but there isn't any words to describe how good these roller coasters truly are.
05. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point. A bit underwhelming considering the truly overwhelming praise, but still an amazing ride. It's barely holding on to #5 though. XD
06. Impulse, Knoebels. This ride is out of control. The restraints aren't invasive, or uncomfortable, and the ride has some crazy hangtime and positives. This is truly the perfect steel thrill coaster for a smaller park like Knoebels.
07. X2, Six Flags Magic Mountain. Of course, a balls-to-the-wall 4D coaster that pushed the boundaries of coaster technology, and the limits of both me and my sister's sanity. Safe to say, she didn't take it so well. And as such, it has a special place in my heart. >: )
08. Vortex, Canada's Wonderland. This is without a doubt, the most underrated ride at the park. It pulls some insane forces, and the speed it carries, it feels like how Zadra's pacing looks, even if I've never ridden it, or even been to Poland! XD
09. Great Bear, Hersheypark. One of the higher-tier B&M inverts, and the best inverted coaster under my belt, for sure. It is WAY more intense than people give it credit for.
10. Tatsu, Six Flags Magic Mountain. An incredible flying coaster, with an insane pretzel loop that tried to kill me. I felt my bones trying to exit my body through my back.

 

[j-cat5]

After my Scandinavian trip:

10: We'll go with F.L.Y for now. Whilst I still don't think the ride experience itself is great, just about everything else is so so good that I think this has to be a top ten coaster.
9: Helix (new)-reviews on this are pretty much correct I'd say, and I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. A great ride well worthy of it's reputation
8: Steel Dragon 2000-Underrated. Massive airtime, awesome drops and a great length. An absolutely brutal rattle but highly survivable due to insanely smooth trains.
7: Silver Star-Grossly underrated. How many times can one coaster apologise for not being Shambhala? Speaking of which....
6: Shambhala-The ride that made me an enthusiast and one I must get back on soon (4 years is too long )
5: Kondaa-Woohoo it's airtime time!!! (?) This one has lots of potential to move up I'd say, only done 4 rides on it and Intamins tend to get better and better with experience.
4: Zadra-To give you an idea of how good this ride actually is, I don't even care that much for RMC's BY COMPARISON to other people (just not a huge fan of the seats/restraints for some reason) and I have this at number 4. Objectively it is a ludicrously good ride. If you're an enthusiast and you haven't done this, this needs to be stuck at the absolute top of your list. And this coming from someone who doesn't like it as much as most people....
3: Taron-A source constant frustration when ranking. Obviously the theming is outstanding and it's definitely really, really good but sometimes I wonder if the idea of Taron in some ways better than actual Taron? I honestly don't know but whatever it's my most ridden coaster in Europe, it's ridiculously smooth and re-ridable, it's absolutely great and it's going here for now.
2: Hyperion-Another source of constant frustration due to the ridiculous differential between the ludicrously good inner seats the horrible outer seats. But since I mostly visit parks alone I can pretty much always snag a middle seat (literally most people are on pairs so just follow a pair and you're there in a left middle seat) and these seats are a truly mind-blowing experience.
1: Taiga (new)-Woo-hoo, not only a new number one but one that I can actually recommend without saying "avoid row z/seat x/it's better at this time of day/etc...an absolute masterpiece as of how I'm feeling right now, with likely some recency bias, the best coaster I have ridden to date. Consider my socks, shoes and toes well and truly blown off...this will certainly take some beating and it's almost too good as I now have to compare every other ride to this one.

Sooooo....... 4 out of my top 5 are Intamins? Good grief I absolutely love this manufacturer.......I actually have so much faith in Intamin at this point that I'm confident that all the other new Intamins (Batman/Toutatis etc) would also make this list....And don't get me started on the fact that I may never ride Velocicoaster....



Off back to Thailand til next summer now (fwiw, I've done the parks here and 'meh' is very much the word). Will return to Europe next year. Not sure what yet, very likely a Belgium trip at some point as definitely fancy me some Kondaa re-rides and of course the most obvious omission from this list.....the Ride to Happiness. Can it beat Taiga I wonder? Do I even want something signifcantly more intense than that....? I guess time will tell....

 

[Eyebrows]

Having enjoyed another ride on them yesterday, I feel comfortable solidifying my placements of the new dueling roller coasters at Epic Universe!

1: Voyage
2: Project 305
3: Iron Gwazi
4: Steel Vengeance
5: Skyrush
6: ArieForce One
7: Velocicoaster
8: Fury 325
9: Toutatis
10: El Toro
11: Phantom’s Revenge
12: Expedition GeForce
13: Ravine Flyer II
14: Pantheon
15: Wildcat’s Revenge
16: Legend
17: Maverick
18: Stardust Racers (Track 1)
19: Stardust Racers (Track 2)
20: Boulder Dash

I went into more detail in my post in the Last Cred Review thread, but in short, these are two lovely airtime machines elevated by on board audio and many wonderful dueling moments. I have a feeling these will be the rides I find myself coming back to the most at Epic Universe.

Since making this post, I’ve gotten night rides on Stardust Racers and finally hit up Texas, bringing my coaster count up to a clean 500! The trip was massive with lots of great rides, and I welcomed three world-class rides into my increasingly selective Top 20 (now representing only 4% of my credits!)

1: Voyage
2: Project 305
3: Iron Gwazi
4: Steel Vengeance
5: Skyrush
6: ArieForce One
7: Velocicoaster
8: Fury 325
9: Toutatis
10: El Toro
11: Stardust Racers (Green) [+8]
12: Stardust Racers (Yellow) [+6]
13: Phantom’s Revenge
14: Expedition GeForce
15: Ravine Flyer II
16: Boardwalk Bullet [New]
17: Wildcat’s Revenge
18: Outlaw Run [New]
19: Pantheon
20: Time Traveler [New]

 

[Matt N]

Since making this post, I’ve gotten night rides on Stardust Racers and finally hit up Texas, bringing my coaster count up to a clean 500! The trip was massive with lots of great rides, and I welcomed three world-class rides into my increasingly selective Top 20 (now representing only 4% of my credits!)

1: Voyage
2: Project 305
3: Iron Gwazi
4: Steel Vengeance
5: Skyrush
6: ArieForce One
7: Velocicoaster
8: Fury 325
9: Toutatis
10: El Toro
11: Stardust Racers (Green) [+8]
12: Stardust Racers (Yellow) [+6]
13: Phantom’s Revenge
14: Expedition GeForce
15: Ravine Flyer II
16: Boardwalk Bullet [New]
17: Wildcat’s Revenge
18: Outlaw Run [New]
19: Pantheon
20: Time Traveler [New]

Wow, I’ve never seen Boardwalk Bullet that high in a list before! Out of curiosity, what did you like so much about it, if you don’t mind me asking?

 

[Rob Coasters]

An explanation for the newest addition...

When the fire is wild 💀

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

WildF A S T

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Yeah ... it had some speed and a half to it. That's not how it normally runs I don't think!

#1 Hyperion - Energylandia
#2 Taron - Phantasialand
#3 Toutatis - Parc Asterix
#4 Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland De Panne
#5 Voltron Nevera - Europa Park
#6 Wildfire - Kolmarden
#7 Batman Gotham City Escape - Parque Warner Madrid
#8 Untamed - Walibi Holland
#9 Storm - The Dragon Legend - Tusenfryd
#10 FLY - Phantasialand
#11 Expedition GeForce - Holiday Park
#12 Balder - Liseberg
#13 Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park
#14 Piraten - Djurs Sommerland
#15 Rutschebanen - Tivoli Gardens
#16 Stunt Fall - Parque Warner Madrid
#17 Helix - Liseberg
#18 Kondaa - Walibi Belgium
#19 Zadra - Energylandia
#20 Karacho - Erlebnispark Tripsdrill
#21 Juvelen - Djurs Sommerlandd
#22 Nemesis Reborn - Alton Towers
#23 Colorado Adventure - Phantasialand
#24 Flucht von Novgorod - Hansa Park
#25 Joris en de Draak (Vuur) - Efteling

#1 Hyperion - Energylandia
#2 Taron - Phantasialand
#3 Toutatis - Parc Asterix
#4 Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland Belgium
#5 Wildfire - Kolmarden
#6 Voltron Nevera - Europa Park
#7 Batman Gotham City Escape - Parque Warner Madrid
#8 Alpenfury - Canada's Wonderland
#9 Leviathan - Canada's Wonderland
#10 Untamed - Walibi Holland
#11 Taiga - Linnanmaki
#12 Storm - The Dragon Legend - Tusenfryd
#13 Balder - Liseberg
#14 Expedition GeForce - Plopsaland Deutschland
#15 Rutschebanen - Tivoli Gardens
#16 Piraten - Djurs Sommerland
#17 Juvelen - Djurs Sommerland
#18 Stunt Fall - Parque Warner Madrid
#19 Kondaa - Walibi Belgium
#20 FLY - Phantasialand
#21 Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park
#22 Grand National - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#23 Junker - PowerPark
#24 Karacho - Tripsdrill
#25 Wild Train - Fantasiana

New #50: Black Mamba, Phantasialand
New #75: Spatiale Experience, Nigloland
New #100: Arthur, Europa Park

 

[Eyebrows]

Wow, I’ve never seen Boardwalk Bullet that high in a list before! Out of curiosity, what did you like so much about it, if you don’t mind me asking?

For starters, it’s chock full of awesome Gravity Group airtime-laterals moments, paces really well, and crams a ridiculous amount of track into a tiny footprint. What sets it apart, though, is the fact that I still could not tell you its exact layout 6 rides later. It’s so twisted in on itself that it’s nigh indecipherable both onride and offride.

 

[Dan Nguyen]

1. Phoenix - Knoebels
2. Skyrush - Hersheypark
3. Pantherian (Intimidator 305) - Kings Dominion
4. Fury 325 - Carowinds
5. X2 - Six Flags Magic Mountain
6. Arie Force One - Fun Spot Atlanta
7. Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point - I really wish RMC stuck with this style of coaster over the whole "rip your body in half" layout Wildcat ended up being. The elements feel like Iron Gwazi's elements. Really floaty so you can really appreciate the elements, but then it tries to throw you out of your seat at the same time. Unfortunately the ride had tons of mechanical issues so I was only able to get 2 rides in over the two days I was at the park.
8. Twisted Timbers - Kings Dominion
9. The Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland de Panne
10. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure
11. Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa
12. Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
13. Twisted Colossus - Six Flags Magic Mountain
14. Lightning Rod - Dollywood
15. Superman the Ride - Six Flags New England
16. Velocicoaster - Islands of Adventure
17. Maverick - Cedar Point - I absolutely love blitz coasters and Maverick is no exception. It (and Siren's Curse) were pretty much the workhorses of the park. If most of the other coasters were down, you could count on Maverick being open at least. It was actually one of the few coasters that was open last night before the park closed. The ride reminds me of a smaller version of 305/Skyrush with the fast, low to the ground transitions followed by melt your face off elements. The second launch packs a crazy punch and then you go into the amazing second half. The elements hit harder and faster here. I definitely see why people adore this ride. The only thing holding this back is the low capacity for Cedar Point. The Fast Lane line moved slow, so I couldn't imagine how slow the standby moves. For that, I can't really put it above VC.
18. Hyperia - Thorpe Park
19. Stardust Racers (Green) - Epic Universe
20. Stardust Racers (Yellow) - Epic Universe

Did two days at Cedar Point and I added two more coasters to the top 20. My experience there was a bit hit-miss thanks to the heavy crowds, weather delays and mechanical issues. The park definitely feels a bit overhyped.

 

[Matt N]

Following my recent revisit to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the first time since 2019, a previous favourite crept its way back into the top 10, and I decided to do some general housekeeping and rearranging in my rankings.

As such, my updated top 10 with descriptions is now as follows (movements underlined):

1. Shambhala - PortAventura Park: It’s finally happened… after 8 years, a new top dog is in town! I had very high expectations for Shambhala, and it did not disappoint; it’s an absolutely sublime coaster! As with Mako, the sustained airtime is glorious; the first drop is wonderful, and every single hill had brilliant sustained air! But there were a few little things that pushed it the distance above Mako for me. Unlike Mako, Shambhala keeps the thrills going right to the end, with every hill delivering, and as a result, I think it flows a bit better. The enhanced height and speed also really added to the ride compared to Mako and Silver Star for me, and another aspect I loved on Shambhala was the speed hill, which seemed much more notable in my mind than the similar element on Mako. Overall, though, Shambhala was just wonderful, and I loved every single one of the 7 rides I had on it while in Spain. Mako had a good 8 years at the top, but Shambhala is a very deserving successor!
2. Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal’s Islands of Adventure: It may not quite be #1, but my goodness was it close, and VelociCoaster would certainly be a worthy contender for the top spot! There is so much that this ride does well; it packs a great sense of speed throughout, with the second section in particular feeling ridiculously fast, there are quite a few sublime moments of ejector airtime that really whip you out of the seat, there are some truly brilliant inversions, and overall, it's just a truly stunning, spectacular coaster, in my view! In terms of some specific highlights; it's hard to pick from the wonderful array of sensations on offer. But if I had to choose a few, the second launch is absolutely obscene, packing a euphoric thrill like few other rides I've ever experienced, the top hat is sublime, packing some breathtaking ejector airtime on the back in particular, and the mosasaurus roll is an absolutely mind-blowing inversion that throws you out of the seat with some sublime sustained negative g-forces and ensures that you fly into the final brakes blown away! Overall, VelociCoaster is a truly stunning coaster, in my opinion; its blend of stunning airtime, impactful elements, fun, comfort and rerideability certainly make it a firm favourite of mine! 10/10 I moved VelociCoaster above Mako because in retrospect, I think it’s probably the ride I think the most about from my 2023 Florida trip, and riding Shambhala perhaps made some of Mako’s relative weak spots more apparent. In terms of VelociCoaster, though, that second front row ride in particular still sticks out to me as one of my most breathtaking rides ever… holy moly! I was physically shaking after that second front row ride…
3. Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: It may not be top dog anymore, but Mako has held a special place in my heart ever since I first rode it back in 2016, and my 2023 revisit to SeaWorld (where I had 5 rides on it) reinforced my love for it! The sustained airtime is absolutely biblical (particularly in moments like the first drop, first airtime hill and speed hill), the sense of speed is wonderful, it's blissfully smooth, and overall, it's just such a fun, thrilling and rerideable coaster that I could (and indeed tried my darnedest to) sit on all day! I truly love this ride, and on my 2023 revisit to SeaWorld, it didn't disappoint! 10/10
4. Silver Star - Europa Park: I had quite low expectations for this coaster given that it's not overly well liked, but I have to say that I was blown away; I absolutely adored this coaster! It has wonderful sustained airtime, it's smooth and comfortable, it has an awesome sense of speed, the ending is absolutely brilliant, packing some phenomenal ejector airtime (particularly the MCBR exit), and overall, this is a stunning coaster that I absolutely loved! I did rank this below Mako of the two B&M Hypers I've ridden due to my feeling that its airtime, while stunning, never has quite the same impact as some of Mako's strongest moments, in my view, and while smooth in its own right, it isn't quite as blissfully smooth as Mako. I also felt it to be slightly less consistent, as I did have 1 or 2 slightly weaker rides on it during my trip to Europa. Nonetheless, Silver Star is a stunning coaster with phenomenal sustained airtime, and I love how it is incredibly rerideable and keeps the thrills going right to the end with that awesome post-MCBR section! 10/10
5. Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa: This ride is phenomenal! In terms of some key strengths, it’s absolutely relentless in pacing and has some of the strongest ejector airtime I’ve ever experienced, and some of the big hitters in the layout like the first drop, outerbanked turn, death roll and wave turn are truly sensational elements that are right up there with the best, in my opinion! The first drop in particular is insane; whipping you far out of the seat with ejector airtime for a surprisingly sustained period of time never gets old! There are also some absolutely top-drawer moments of ejector airtime elsewhere in the layout, and the ride is smooth and rerideable! In terms of why I moved it up when I haven’t reridden it, this is because in retrospect, I think I was overly harsh on Iron Gwazi at the time, fixating on its very tiniest imperfections to try and quantify the slight disappointment of it not quite living up to my wildly high expectations on the very first go. This is going to sound odd, but Iron Gwazi is a coaster where the more I sit back and think about it, the more I actually love it. Thinking back, it grew on me considerably the second and third times I did it once the weight of expectation was off its shoulders, and it is genuinely a top tier ride that is more than deserving of a top 5 placement for me! 10/10
6. Hyperia - Thorpe Park: What a sublime ride! I was excited for Hyperia, and it did not disappoint! I love a good hyper, and Hyperia is a phenomenal one! For starters, the ride is primarily designed around weightlessness, and it delivers this excellently; you seem to spend half of the ride pinned out of the seat in some capacity! The first three big elements on the ride are an obscenely perfect sequence. The first drop is absolutely unhinged and so, so good, delivering excellent sustained ejector, the non-inverting Immelmann is sublime and offers both brilliant speed rushing up into it and top-drawer sustained ejector coming out of it, and that outerbanked turn into the inversion is wild and pins you right of your seat with top-tier sustained sideways ejector! The zero-g stall is not quite up there with the other elements, but it is still excellent, with sustained hangtime, and the final two elements after the trim were surprisingly excellent, with both the outerbanked turn and the final airtime hill delivering! Overall, then, Hyperia is an absolutely sublime coaster, in my view, and it definitely lived up to the hype for me. It’s so good to have a coaster this brilliant 2 hours from home, that I can most probably ride at least once annually! 10/10
7. Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Wodan strikes the perfect balance between pure demented insanity and amazing fun factor and rerideability, in my view! It’s an absolutely relentless coaster, with phenomenal pacing right to the end, and it has quite a few really surprising pops of ejector airtime, including an excellent first drop, but it’s also a really smooth and comfortable wooden coaster, and it just manages to be a ridiculous amount of fun! Overall, Wodan is such a fast, airtime-filled and fun coaster that I absolutely loved on my visit to Europa Park! 10/10
8. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Dismiss this as a “family” coaster all you want, but I think such quick dismissal would be a huge mistake, because this ride is phenomenal, in my view! Of the rides in my top 10, I’ll admit that this one probably has the least tangible reason to be there. However, the key reason why Hagrid’s ranks so highly for me is that purely and simply, it is a phenomenally, impeccably fun roller coaster! In terms of some specifics, the low-to-the-ground turns were a lot more thrilling than I expected and the launches were surprisingly punchy and great fun, but unlike many coasters, my love of Hagrid’s is for a much broader reason than any specific features of the ride layout. It is just so, so fun, and the ride will always leave you laughing hysterically and smiling on the final brake run, and that for me is really important. Riding Hagrid’s taught me a crucial lesson about my taste in coasters; it taught me that a coaster does not necessarily need greatness in the form of tangible elements for me to love it, and that fundamentally, all a coaster needs to be is fun. Hagrid’s is not the most intense ride by any means, but if you want pure fun, I’d struggle to recommend many better coasters than this one! 10/10
9. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Going back to Icon after 6 years, I did wonder whether I’d still loved it as much as I did in 2019… but if anything, I only loved it more! Icon is not a massively intense ride, but I just find it a huge amount of fun! There’s a great amount of airtime to be had on the ride, for a start; the top hat at the beginning really shines, but the other great moments like the twisty sequence down into the second launch and the junior Immelmann also stand out, amongst others! There’s also some lovely hangtime, with both the first roll and the junior Immelmann providing just the right amount of floatiness without feeling sickly! The twisty layout also keeps the ride feeling interesting, in my view; I ride Icon feeling like I’m twisting and floating all over the place, and I find it so much fun! It’s also so smooth and rerideable with comfortable restraints, and overall, I just find it an immensely enjoyable coaster that definitely remains deserving of a top 10 spot despite me having previously demoted it to #12! 10/10
10. Wicker Man - Alton Towers: Wicker Man is a fantastic GCI coaster that I absolutely love! It may not look like much on paper, but I find it to be an enormously fun and rerideable coaster that never fails to put a huge smile on my face! I find it to be a really fast-paced coaster with some really fun twists and turns and some surprising pops of airtime, with some particular favourite elements of mine being the initial s-bend drop, where you gain brilliant speed incredibly quickly, and the big drop out of the high u-turn and following airtime hill, with both elements providing some excellent airtime that really whips you out of the seat! Overall, I find Wicker Man a hugely fun and rerideable wooden coaster with awesome airtime, twists and pacing, and I think it’s a ride that is definitely far more than the sum of its parts, personally! I decided to bump it up a few spots after my most recent visit in 2024, where it was running so well on the 2 rides I had; the airtime was kicking, the ride was blisteringly fast-paced, and it just made me laugh and smile so much! Somewhat similarly to Hagrid’s, Wicker Man just takes the raw fun factor to a whole new level for me! 10/10

I’ve also made a few wider changes within my top 30, and it is now as follows (changes in italics):

1. Shambhala - PortAventura Park (10/10)
2. Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal’s Islands of Adventure (10/10)
3. Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
4. Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
5. Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
6. Hyperia - Thorpe Park (10/10)
7. Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
8. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal’s Islands of Adventure (10/10)
9. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
10. Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
11. Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
12. SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10) (In retrospect, I don’t think the gulf between SheiKra and Oblivion was quite as large as I made out, and I’m not sure if SheiKra was quite 10/10 tier material… I’d honestly put SheiKra and Oblivion quite close together!)
13. Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
14. Stealth - Thorpe Park (9/10)
15. Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
16. Nemesis Reborn - Alton Towers (9/10)
17. Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
18. Red Force - Ferrari Land (9/10) (For some reason, I felt a bit happier with Red Force being situated below the 3 inverts rather than right behind Stealth… I felt this was a bit more reflective of my feeling towards it.)
19. Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
20. Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
21. The Swarm - Thorpe Park (9/10) (I’ve always had a real soft spot for Swarm, despite those restraints… so I felt that a 9/10 tier placement was maybe more fitting than an 8/10!)
22. Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (9/10) (I don’t know if Oakwood closing has made me all misty-eyed and nostalgic, but in hindsight, Megafobia was actually really fun and rerideable on my last experience overall… despite the rougher back row, those front row rides were very enjoyable, and are making me thinking that a 9/10 tier placement might be more fitting!)
23. Blue Fire - Europa Park (8/10) (Riding Icon again recently and seeing how much more I feel towards it than I did towards Blue Fire made me feel like an 8/10 tier placement might be more fitting for Blue Fire… it was really decent, don’t get me wrong, but I felt strangely cold towards it, and didn’t quite gel with it, if you get what I mean.)
24. Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
25. Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
26. Rock’n’Rollercoaster - Disney’s Hollywood Studios (8/10)
27. Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
28. Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10)
29. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (8/10) (I’ve started to wonder if my love of the theming on this has made me rank it excessively for a very long time… I love the overall experience of Gringotts, but when I actually think about the weakness of the actual coaster element, I do perhaps feel that a 9/10 tier placement and a spot in my top 20 coasters was maybe a tad excessive.)
30. Uncharted: El Enigma de Penitence - PortAventura Park (8/10)

It’s really weird how going on one park trip and riding some coasters for the first time in a few years can make you rethink everything! Does anyone else find that riding one ride can, oddly, make you rethink your opinion of a totally different ride in a totally different park?

I also find it really interesting how hard reconciling head and heart makes some of these ranking decisions… my head and my heart are sometimes pulling me in very different directions on these rides!

Given my indecisiveness, chances are that some of the placements in this list could also be totally different on a different day… and chances are that I’ll rearrange it again at some point! I don’t think I’ll ever be truly happy with the order of my coaster rankings…

My visit to Thorpe Park yesterday made me oddly reflective about my rankings. Why a visit to a park I’ve been to many times made me feel this way, I’m not too sure, but my rides yesterday, particularly Hyperia, definitely made me think about things and definitely made me reconsider some of my ranking positions!

As of today, my new look top 10, with some justifying remarks, is as follows (movements underlined):

1. Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal’s Islands of Adventure: I have, for some time, been hesitant to put VelociCoaster on the top of my list. However, having thought about it, I think it’s the ride that really most deserves to be my #1, simply because a ride has never hit me quite like VelociCoaster, with my second ride being a particular standout. I was reduced to fits of laughter and awe after it like no other ride I’ve ever been on, and thinking it through, it is probably the most objectively flawless coaster I’ve ridden and there’s not really anything I would change about it. There is so much that this ride does well; it packs a great sense of speed throughout, with the second section in particular feeling ridiculously fast, there are many sublime moments of ejector airtime that really whip you out of the seat, there are some truly brilliant inversions, and overall, it's just a truly stunning, spectacular coaster, in my view! In terms of some specific highlights; it's hard to pick from the wonderful array of sensations on offer. But if I had to choose a few, the second launch is absolutely obscene, packing a euphoric thrill like few other rides I've ever experienced, the top hat is sublime, packing some breathtaking sustained ejector airtime on the back in particular, and the mosasaurus roll is an absolutely mind-blowing inversion that throws you out of the seat with some sublime sustained negative g-forces and ensures that you fly into the final brakes blown away! Overall, VelociCoaster is a truly stunning coaster, in my opinion; its blend of stunning airtime, impactful elements, fun, comfort and rerideability certainly make it a worthy #1! 10/10
2. Shambhala - PortAventura Park: As someone who has always loved a B&M Hyper, and held Mako as my #1 for many years, I had very high expectations for Shambhala, and it did not disappoint; it’s an absolutely sublime coaster! As with Mako, the sustained airtime is glorious; the first drop is wonderful, and every single hill had brilliant sustained air! But there were a few little things that pushed it the distance above Mako for me. Unlike Mako, Shambhala keeps the thrills going right to the end, with every hill delivering, and as a result, I think it flows a bit better. The enhanced height and speed also really added to the ride compared to Mako and Silver Star for me, and another aspect I loved on Shambhala was the speed hill, which seemed much more notable in my mind than the similar element on Mako. Overall, though, Shambhala was just wonderful, and I loved every single one of the 7 rides I had on it while in Spain!
3. Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: It may not be top dog anymore, but Mako has held a special place in my heart ever since I first rode it back in 2016, and my 2023 revisit to SeaWorld (where I had 5 rides on it) reinforced my love for it! The sustained airtime is absolutely biblical (particularly in moments like the first drop, first airtime hill and speed hill), the sense of speed is wonderful, it's blissfully smooth, and overall, it's just such a fun, thrilling and rerideable coaster that I could (and indeed tried my darnedest to) sit on all day! I truly love this ride, and on my 2023 revisit to SeaWorld, it didn't disappoint! 10/10
4. Hyperia - Thorpe Park: Yes, it’s not the longest coaster in the world. Yes, it’s a little rough around the edges presentation-wise, with that splashdown and lake looking ever ugly. But my word, all of that gets put aside when I think about just how spectacular the ride experience of Hyperia is! I loved it last year, but I loved it even more this year! I love a good hyper coaster with height and speed, and I also love rides with lots of sustained negative g-forces, so Hyperia ticks all my boxes, really! For a ride that’s not that long, it packs a huge amount of highlights; that first drop is absolutely unhinged, with phenomenal sustained ejector, the drop out of the junior Immelmann also packs phenomenal sustained ejector, the outerbank packs wild sustained weightlessness, and the zero-g stall is also very potent with huge amounts of sustained weightlessness! Heck, even the final outerbank and hill deliver decent weightlessness; few rides show quite so much dedication to the art of throwing you out of your seat for extended periods of time, and every inch of Hyperia delivers, with the speed throughout also being phenomenal and the weightlessness being both impactful and sustained! Further to that, the ride is also so smooth and comfortable, with those Mack trains making it a delight to sit on and ensuring that the ride is never uncomfortable or too much. Overall, then, I absolutely adore Hyperia and think it’s sublime; it’s grown on me every time I’ve ridden it, it leaves me in fits of laughter at the end every time, and it has been a phenomenal addition to both Thorpe Park and the UK more widely! 10/10
5. Silver Star - Europa Park: I had quite low expectations for this coaster given that it's not overly well liked, but I have to say that I was blown away; I absolutely adored this coaster! It has wonderful sustained airtime, it's smooth and comfortable, it has an awesome sense of speed, the ending is absolutely brilliant, packing some phenomenal ejector airtime (particularly the MCBR exit), and overall, this is a stunning coaster that I absolutely loved! I do rank this below Mako and Shambhala due to my feeling that its airtime, while stunning, never has quite the same impact as some of Mako or Shambhala’s strongest moments, in my view, with the first drop in particular definitely being weaker than Mako or Shambhala’s. While smooth in its own right, it also isn't quite as blissfully smooth as Mako or Shambhala, and further to this, I felt it to be slightly less consistent, as I did have 1 or 2 slightly weaker rides on it during my trip to Europa. Nonetheless, Silver Star is a stunning coaster with phenomenal sustained airtime, and I love how it is incredibly rerideable and keeps the thrills going right to the end with that awesome post-MCBR section! 10/10
6. Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa: This ride is phenomenal! In terms of some key strengths, it’s absolutely relentless in pacing and has some of the strongest ejector airtime I’ve ever experienced, and some of the big hitters in the layout like the first drop, outerbanked turn, death roll and wave turn are truly sensational elements that are right up there with the best, in my opinion! The first drop in particular is insane; whipping you far out of the seat with ejector airtime for a surprisingly sustained period of time never gets old! There are also some absolutely top-drawer moments of ejector airtime elsewhere in the layout, and the ride is smooth and rerideable! In retrospect, I think I was overly harsh on Iron Gwazi at the time I rode it, fixating on its very tiniest imperfections to try and quantify the slight disappointment of it not quite living up to my wildly high expectations on the very first go. This is going to sound odd, but Iron Gwazi is a coaster where the more I sit back and think about it, the more I actually love it. Thinking back, it grew on me considerably the second and third times I did it once the weight of expectation was off its shoulders, and it is genuinely a top tier ride that is more than deserving of a top 10 placement for me! I do wonder if it would go up a few spots with a future reride. 10/10
7. Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Wodan strikes the perfect balance between pure demented insanity and amazing fun factor and rerideability, in my view! It’s an absolutely relentless coaster, with phenomenal pacing right to the end, and it has quite a few really surprising pops of ejector airtime, including an excellent first drop, but it’s also a really smooth and comfortable wooden coaster, and it just manages to be a ridiculous amount of fun! Overall, Wodan is such a fast, airtime-filled and fun coaster that I absolutely loved on my visit to Europa Park! 10/10
8. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal’s Islands of Adventure: Dismiss this as a “family” coaster all you want, but I think such quick dismissal would be a huge mistake, because this ride is phenomenal, in my view! Of the rides in my top 10, I’ll admit that this one probably has the least tangible reason to be there. However, the key reason why Hagrid’s ranks so highly for me is that purely and simply, it is a phenomenally, impeccably fun roller coaster! In terms of some specifics, the low-to-the-ground turns were a lot more thrilling than I expected and the launches were surprisingly punchy and great fun, but unlike many coasters, my love of Hagrid’s is for a much broader reason than any specific features of the ride layout. It is just so, so fun, and the ride will always leave you laughing hysterically and smiling on the final brake run, and that for me is really important. Riding Hagrid’s taught me a crucial lesson about my taste in coasters; it taught me that a coaster does not necessarily need greatness in the form of tangible elements for me to love it, and that fundamentally, all a coaster needs to be is fun. Hagrid’s is not the most intense ride by any means, but if you want pure fun, I’d struggle to recommend many better coasters than this one! 10/10
9. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Going back to Icon after 6 years, I did wonder whether I’d still love it as much as I did in 2019… but if anything, I only loved it more! Icon is not a massively intense ride, but I just find it a huge amount of fun! There’s a great amount of airtime to be had on the ride, for a start; the top hat at the beginning really shines, but the other great moments like the twisty sequence down into the second launch and the junior Immelmann also stand out, amongst others! There’s also some lovely hangtime, with both the first roll and the junior Immelmann providing just the right amount of floatiness without feeling sickly! The twisty layout also keeps the ride feeling interesting, in my view; I ride Icon feeling like I’m twisting and floating all over the place, and I find it so much fun! It’s also so smooth and rerideable with comfortable restraints, and overall, I just find it an immensely enjoyable coaster that definitely remains deserving of a top 10 spot despite me having previously demoted it out of the top 10! 10/10
10. Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando: I went into Ice Breaker with low expectations in 2023, but I have to say that these were hugely exceeded; Ice Breaker is ace, in my view! For such a small ride, it packs surprising ejector airtime in numerous places; the swing launch is great fun and has airtime in spades, the top hat is brilliant, the junior scorpion tail has some absolutely lovely floaty airtime, and the main layout is punctuated with other fun ejector pops! As well as this, the ride is really smooth, keeps a good pace throughout, and is generally a really fun and rerideable coaster! 10/10 Ice Breaker was more of a beneficiary of Wicker Man going down slightly than something I actively chose to move up.

I’ve also made a few changes to my wider top 30, and it is now as follows (changes in italics):

1. Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal’s Islands of Adventure (10/10)
2. Shambhala - PortAventura Park (10/10)
3. Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
4. Hyperia - Thorpe Park (10/10)
5. Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
6. Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
7. Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
8. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal’s Islands of Adventure (10/10)
9. Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
10. Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
11. Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10) (While I will always love Wicker Man, and it still reduces me to fits of laughter every time, I think the weight of some genuinely top-tier rides above it now makes it hard to justify putting Wicker Man much higher than this. I also realised on my most recent visit to Alton Towers that it suffers a little from what I call “magic seat syndrome” in that a ride on the back 3 or 4 rows is quite markedly better than a ride elsewhere on the train. I like a ride to be reasonably consistent and deliver something reasonably close to its best experience in any seat at any time, so this “magic seat syndrome” does lose Wicker Man a few points for me, as much as I love it.)
12. Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10) (As much as I’ve said for years that I preferred SheiKra to Oblivion, my most recent Alton Towers visit made me realise that Oblivion is absolutely my preference out of the two; while Oblivion is short, the speed in that tunnel is insane!)
13. Stealth - Thorpe Park (9/10) (Short though Stealth is, my recent visit reminded me just how much I can’t get enough of that hydraulic launch! The top hat airtime is also brilliant!)
14. SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
15. Nemesis Reborn - Alton Towers (9/10) (Some of my recent rides on Nemesis have made me feel that it deserves to be my highest ranked B&M invert ahead of Montu. The sense of speed is awesome, and the layout design is truly inspired, with that first drop-corkscrew-helix-zero-g roll sequence being absolutely legendary! The front row ride in particular is also absolutely wonderful!)
16. Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
17. The Swarm - Thorpe Park (9/10) (My ride on Swarm yesterday was absolutely excellent; it packed great speed, it had some wonderfully floaty inversions, it had good forces, it was smooth, and the restraints were also a lot less bothersome than they have been on some previous rides. I was certainly reminded why The Swarm spent a 2-year stint as my #1 coaster prior to me riding Mako in 2016!)
18. Red Force - Ferrari Land (9/10)
19. Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
20. Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
21. Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (9/10)
22. Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
23. Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
24. Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
25. Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (8/10) (As much as Nemesis Inferno is a really decent coaster in its own right, with very little not to like about it, it didn’t seem to be hitting quite as much for me on my recent Thorpe visit, and I do think it lacks a certain… special spark that makes the original Nemesis so good compared to other looping B&Ms)
26. Rock’n’Rollercoaster - Disney’s Hollywood Studios (8/10)
27. Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
28. Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10)
29. Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10) (My most recent visit to Alton Towers made me realise that I enjoy Thirteen more than I often think I do, and that it deserves to be a few spots higher than I previously had it!)
30. Gold Rush - Drayton Manor (8/10) (Gold Rush was such a pleasant surprise when I rode it in 2024, and I’d have it pegged at a similar level to Thirteen, so I decided to move it up a touch as well!)

Gringotts and Uncharted were reshuffled out of the top 30.

In general, I am a firm believer that intensity is not the sole arbiter of ride quality, and I rate coasters based on how fun, thrilling and rerideable they are, and how much I enjoy them.

Interestingly, I make this the first time since at least 2014 that I have not had a B&M as my #1 coaster!

Although knowing how indecisive I am, I’m sure I’ll want to reshuffle the list again at some point…

 

[EmmaUK]

I've not updated mine on here in a while. And after my Benelux + Germany road trip this year, thought it was time.

1 - Eejanaika - Absolute insanity. I've never laughed so much on a coaster in my life.
2 - Steel Vengeance - Nearly the perfect ride, but I could do without the bunny hops at the end. By this stage I'm actually in pain.
3 - Hakugei - In many respects better than SteVe, but SteVe has better inversions
4 - El Toto - An absolute out of control beast. Yes it batters you up a bit, but that airtime...
5 - Velocicoaster - Such a brilliant, varied ride, maybe just lacking a little madness
6 - Shambhala - Unlike Velocicoaster, it has no real variety. But what is does, it does so well
7 - Intimidator 305 - Back to the madness. The only coaster that I consistently grey out on. But its the transitions later in the ride that I really love
8 - Wicked Cyclone - A mini SteVe
9 - Pantheon - that backwards airtime hill alone places it so high
10 - Untamed - More of the madness. This rags you around and throws you about. Unusually for an RMC, I preferred the front seat.

Other high scoring newbies from my Euro trip:

14 - Taron
15 - Kondaa
23 - Black Mamba
36 - YOY (Thrill)
37 - FLY
56 - Troy
70 - Joris en de Draak (Blue)
76 - Joris en de Draak (Red)
77 - YOY (Chill)
90 - Mecalodon
91 - Fenix
96 - Vliegende Hollander

@MattN glad you liked Shambhala, knew it would be right up your street

 

[Kimster]

1. X2: I love extreme rides and this one is absolutely great.

2. Tatsu: Actually a boring coaster...but that Prezel-Loop is by far my favourite coaster moment of all coasters I have been on. Its insane.

3. Green Lantern First Flight: So many people hate this coaster, saying it hurts. I absolutely loved it. It was one of the most intense coasters ever, only for very experienced riders. You needed to prepare for those drops, it was not a coaster to enjoy, but to endure. But the forces it provided were nowhere else to find and that is why I absolutely loved it.

4. El Toro: I absolutely love those extreme ejector forces. Amazing ride.

5. Stealth/Kingda Ka: I love both rides actually the same. Stealth has an absolutely sick launch, a lot faster than Kingda Ka had, but Kingda Ka's Launch and Speed just felt like it goes forever. I cant decide which ride I like better.

6. Ride to Happiness: Its a very intersting coaster, different to most. The ride itself has forceful moments and the fact that you can also go backwards is even better. For my taste it could spin a bit more, that would make it even better.

7. Twisted Colossus: For me thats the "perfect" coaster. I rode it when it was brand new and I always got a duelling ride. I never had so much fun on a coaster before. The layout is cool, the elements are great, it runs amazing and the duelling is just very well done and executed. I know that its not always the case, but I will always remember those moments I had on this coaster.

8. Taron: Its just a very great coaster and one of the best themings you can think of and its in my favouite theme park, Phantasialand. To be at the top, it needs to be more extreme, but its absolutely fun, intense and I cant get enough of it.

9. Expedition GeForce: So far, Expedition GeForce is my favourite steel coaster with a classic layout and that by miles. I have been on so many B&M hypers, other Intamins (Levethian, Behemoth, Nitro, Goliath,....) and none of them even comes close. The only other coaster that is compareable is El Toro...and maybe Skyrush (which I didnt ride yet). The park refurbished the coaster recently and it runs like brand new. Amazing ride.

10. Batwing: The most underrated coaster I have ever ridden. I didnt even want to go on it first (Vekoma SLC are not my favourites...), but I gave it a try and I was shocked how good it is. The Loop is almost as intense as a Prezel-Looping. It runs pretty well, doesnt rattle too bad and is enjoyable. I wish there were more of these coasters.

 

[The_bullgod]

After finally reaching 400 earlier this week, this will be my top 10:

1. Wildfire - Kolmarden
2. Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland de Panne
3. Zadra - Energylandia
4. Taiga - Linnanmaki
5. Helix - Liseberg
6. Lech Coaster - Legendia
7. Shambhala - Port Aventura
8. Nemesis - Alton Towers
9. Hyperion - Energylandia
10. Batman Gotham City Escape – Parque Warner Madrid

And just outside my top 10 are Untamed (Walibi Holland) and Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa)

Damn, I forgot I've been to Walibi Holland the last week of August.
And I have added 3 new coasters to my list. But sadly non of these will make it into my top 10.
Those 3 new coasters are: YoY (Chill & Thrill) and Eat My Dust

 

[James F]

I've made a spreadsheet. Things are getting serious now ...

Unless I win the lottery, this is my final top 25 list for 2025.

Screenshotting isn't ideal. I'm still trying to work out how to share a preview of google sheets.

top 25 by James Fletcher, on Flickr

=================================

If preferred in a standard list form: (new in Bold)

1: Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
2: Hyperion, Energylandia
3: Helix, Liseberg
4: Taiga, Linnanmäki
5: Zadra, Energylandia
6: Untamed, Walibi Holland
7: Toutatis, Parc Astérix
8: Schwur Des Kärnan, Hansa Park
9: Kondaa, Walibi Belgium
10: Skyrush, Hersheypark
11: Wildfire, Kolmården
12: El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure
13: Voltron - Europa Park
14: Shambhala, Port Aventura Park
15: Millennium Force, Cedar Point
16: Taron, Phantasialand
17: Batman: Gotham City Escape, Parque Warner Madrid
18: Wildcat's Revenge, Hersheypark
19: Candymonium, Hersheypark
20: Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point
21: The Ride to Happiness, Plopsaland DePanne
22: Hyperia, Thorpe Park
23: Wodan Timbur Coaster, Europa Park
24: Silver Star. Europa Park
25: Maverick, Cedar Point

 

[RcTmix]

Bold credits are new
Credits in italics aren’t new, but are new to my “top” rankings

1. Steel Vengeance
2. Voyage
3. Iron Gwazi
4. Fury 325
5. ArieForce One (+1)
6. Maverick (+3)
7. Outlaw Run
8. Storm Chaser (-1)
9. Top Thrill 2
10. Millennium Force (-5)
11. Afterburn
12. Orion (-2)
13. Time Traveler
14. Montu (-1)
15. Magnum XL200
16. Mystic Timbers (-8)
17. Phantom’s Revenge (-3)
18. Raptor
19. Lightning Run (-4)
20. Legend

cc: 146

So yeah. My first visit to Silver Dollar City was a success.

1. Steel Vengeance
2. Voyage
3. Iron Gwazi
4. Fury 325
5. ArieForce One
6. Top Thrill 2
7. Outlaw Run
8. Maverick
9. Wind Chaser
10. Millennium Force
11. Orion
12. Raging Bull
13. Afterburn
14. Time Traveler
15. Montu
16. Magnum XL-200
17. Mystic Timbers
18. Raptor
19. Lighting Run
20. Legend

cc: 164

Only 1 new credit that cracks the top 20 this year, but at #12, Raging Bull made an impression. I don’t get the hate, I absolutely LOVED this thing! It’s a B&M hyper with old school b&m whippy transitions, and a couple of truly shocking drops. What’s not to love?

I also realized after a couple more rides on TT2 that it’s the second best coaster in Ohio, and it delivers the most absurd airtime moment I’ve experienced. You’ve probably heard it by now (“out of your seat from the twist going up to the twist going down.” “Insane ejector.” “Folded over the lapbar…”). It’s all true. Wild.

 

[JamesB]

May as well post mine as not expecting to get any more creds this season (new creds in bold)

1. Ride to Happiness, Plopsaland
2. Helix, Liseberg
3. Zadra, Energylandia
4. Batman Gotham City Escape, Parque Warner
5. Taron, Phantasialand
6. Taiga, Linnanmaki
7. Dive Coaster, Chimelong
8. Lech Coaster, Legendia
9. Kondaa, Walibi Belgium
10. Goliath, Walibi Holland

11. Hyperia, Thorpe
12. Untamed, Walibi Holland
13. Stealth, Thorpe
14. Swarm, Thorpe
15. Tornado, Sarkanniemi
16. F.L.Y., Phantasialand
17. Hyperion, Energylandia
18. Wildfire, Kolmarden
19. Icon, Blackpool Pleasure Beach
20. Black Mamba, Phantasialand

 

[mewantcandy2]

Wildcats revenge is really really good. Skyrush too. Shame Hershey’s ops are so bad…

1. Iron Gwazi
2. The Voyage
3. Velocicoaster
4. Wildcats Revenge (new!)
5. Zadra
6. Steel Vengeance
7. Phantom's Revenge
8. Skyrush
9. Maverick
10. Pantheon

 

[addy2503]

Slight update after a Thorpe Park trip on Saturday, Hyperia comes in at number 5, plus some other reworking since last time

1: Voltron, Europa Park
2: Zadra, Energylandia
3: Untamed, Walibi Holland
4: Lech Coaster, Legendia
5: Hyperia, Thorpe Park
6: Hyperion, Energylandia (-1)
7: Nemesis, Alton Towers (-1)
8: Taron, Phantasialand (-1)
9: Wodan Timbur Coaster, Europa Park (+1)
10: Silver Star, Europa Park (-2)
11: Shambhala, PortAventura (-2)
12: Nemesis Inferno, Thorpe Park (-2)
13: Blue Fire Megacoaster, Europa Park (-2)
14: Lost Gravity, Walibi Holland (-2)
15: Goliath, Walibi Holland (-2)
16: Abyssus, Energylandia (-2)
17: Stealth, Thorpe Park (-2)
18: Oblivion, Alton Towers (-2)
19: F.L.Y, Phantasialand (-2)
20: Formula, Energylandia (-2)


1: Voltron, Europa Park
Had thought that RMC would have a firm hold on my top position for some time, but then in comes Voltron, aggressively them down into second & third place. Just an incredible coaster, relentless pacing, insane airtime & hangtime (felt like the train was trying to eject me most of the way round). First launch & Zero-G stall are my highlights I think, but the whole thing is insane. Feels like it takes a lot of design cues from RMC, and I think that part of the reason it beats them in my ranking is partly the level of theming, but also the much more comfortable Mack trains & restraints (I'm 6'4" and a fairly large stomach/waist, so the RMC restraints are very restrictive for me). Also didn't notice a rattle or anything across my 6 rides in every row and both outer and inner seats.
Basically Smiler if it were actually good...

2: Zadra, Energylandia
My 100th coaster, and what a coaster! First drop is brilliant, and the Zero-G Stall is a particular standout. Think Untamed is close to beating it, but the sheer scale of Zadra just beats it out.

3: Untamed, Walibi Holland
My first RMC and such a good coaster. Whole thing is great, but think the return run from the turnaround back to the station is the best bit, particularly the final inversion and the bunny hops & headchoppers through the structure.

4: Lech Coaster, Legendia
Such a great little coaster, love all the quick positive to negative transitions and the roll through the station. Brilliant intense machine.
First 4 in my list are very close.

5: Hyperia, Thorpe Park
The airtime on this is incredible, firmly out of my seat through most of the layout. The outerbanked turn/inversion turnaround thing is brilliant, between that or the stall afterwards for my favourite moments. Would probably be in my top 3 if it was longer and didnt have the "splashdown" trim brake interrupting the flow. Everything after that is still great with good airtime, just needs a bit more layout instead of that trim.

6: Hyperion, Energylandia
Brilliant mix of 'standard' hyper coaster elements and fast snappy turns and airtime moments, plus a great inversion.

7: Nemesis, Alton Towers
Bit sad to see this drop out of the top 5 as it had been my #1 from 2016 when I first rode it until last year, but everything above very much deserves it. Will always be my #0 coaster though as was the 1 coaster I always aspired to ride as I was growing up, and the one that got rid of my fear of riding coasters. Still a great coaster in such a unique location. Helix through Zero-G is one of the best sequences of elements on anything I've ridden.

8: Taron, Phantasialand
Love the launches, and a great layout with some good moments of airtime and in a brilliantly themed area.

9: Wodan Timbur Coaster, Europa Park
Brought this up above Silver Star & Shambhala. Brilliantly relentless layout with some great almost RMC-ish moments, just doesn't feel like it slows down at any point, as evidenced by the upstops squealing just before the brake run. So much better than the other GCIs I've done (Wicker Man & Troy which I didn't particularly enjoy), and shows that sometimes taller & faster is better.

10: Silver Star, Europa Park
Great fun B&M Hyper, great floater through the first half then a nice twisty second half with a couple of ejector moments (maybe helped by only having ridden it in the back row?). Would like to see it get a retheme at some point though, as it currently feels like a missing link at Europa in terms of theming.
Took a while to decide whether this or Shambhala were better, probably not helped by not having ridden Shambhala since 2017, so could flip positions whenever I get back to Spain.

Had a big end of season shake up, after a repeat trip to Europa, and first-time visits to Plopsaland Belgium & Emerald Park. New top 20 below, with brief thoughts on the top 10 below that. Biggest changes are the two B&M hypers that have dropped 6 places (still like them, just not as bothered by them), and Dragon Khan which has popped up into the top 20. New entries in bold, place changes in brackets.


1: Voltron, Europa Park
2: Ride To Happiness, Plopsaland Belgium
3: Untamed, Walibi Holland
4: Lech Coaster, Legendia
5: Zadra, Energylandia (-3)
6: Hyperia, Thorpe Park (-1)
7: Hyperion, Energylandia (-1)
8: Nemesis, Alton Towers (-1)
9: Wodan, Europa Park
10: Taron, Phantasialand (-2)
11: Na Fianna Force, Emerald Park
12: Nemesis Inferno, Thorpe Park
13: Blue Fire, Europa Park
14: Lost Gravity, Walibi Holland
15: Dragon Khan, PortAventura
16: Silver Star, Europa Park (-6)
17: Shambhala, PortAventura (-6)
18: Stealth, Thorpe Park (-1)
19: F.L.Y, Phantasialand
20: Goliath, Walibi Holland (-5)



1: Voltron, Europa Park
Had 16 rides on this over my 3 days at Europa this year, and could easily have done far more. Almost all single rider, so mostly on the left wing seat. Definitely best in the front. Just an incredible layout, and such a complete package with the brilliant theming. Got a couple of post-sunset rides and was even better with all the lighting running. The airtime hill after the stall has surely got to be one of the strongest moments of ejector on any coaster?

2: Ride To Happiness, Plopsaland Belgium
Popped in to Plopsaland for an hour on my way down to Europa, and got 5 rides on this, and it's just incredible, just absolute madness with the spinning frankly. Front car is the best I think, gives some great ejector at the top of the hills after each launch, and the two hops into the brake run. Went through the loop perfectly sideways on one ride, which was a strange new experience!

3: Untamed, Walibi Holland
My first RMC and such a good coaster. Whole thing is great, but think the return run from the turnaround back to the station is the best bit, particularly the final inversion and the bunny hops & headchoppers through the structure.

4: Lech Coaster, Legendia
Such a great little coaster, love all the quick positive to negative transitions and the roll through the station. Brilliant intense machine.

5: Zadra, Energylandia
My 100th coaster, and what a coaster! First drop is brilliant, and the Zero-G Stall is a particular standout. Have dropped this down a couple places, as I think I prefer the layout on Untamed over this, but still great

6: Hyperia, Thorpe Park
The airtime on this is incredible, firmly out of my seat through most of the layout. The outerbanked turn/inversion turnaround thing is brilliant, between that or the stall afterwards for my favourite moments. Would probably be in my top 3 if it was longer and didnt have the "splashdown" trim brake interrupting the flow. Everything after that is still great with good airtime, just needs a bit more layout instead of that trim.

7: Hyperion, Energylandia
Brilliant mix of 'standard' hyper coaster elements and fast snappy turns and airtime moments, plus a great inversion.

8: Nemesis, Alton Towers
Bit sad to see this drop out of the top 5 as it had been my #1 from 2016 when I first rode it until last year, but everything above very much deserves it. Will always be my #0 coaster though as was the 1 coaster I always aspired to ride as I was growing up, and the one that got rid of my fear of riding coasters. Still a great coaster in such a unique location. Helix through Zero-G is one of the best sequences of elements on anything I've ridden.

9: Wodan Timbur Coaster, Europa Park
Love this more & more each time I visit Europa. Brilliantly relentless layout with some great almost RMC-ish moments, just doesn't feel like it slows down at any point, as evidenced by the upstops squealing just before the brake run.

10: Taron, Phantasialand
Love the launches, and a great layout with some good moments of airtime and in a brilliantly themed area.