Defined as a roller coaster that reaches a height or drop length of at least 300 feet, there are currently eight gigacoasters in operation across the world.
When a new roller coaster is built, enthusiasts and casual fans alike will often try to figure out who exactly a new ride is for.
Smaller coasters with no inversions and speeds of 40 miles per hour and under are generally marketed towards families, while thrill rides of varying degrees all have their own demographics they are aiming for – something the park itself often doesn’t make a secret when promoting a coaster.
Yet throughout the 1990’s and much of the 2000’s, new roller coasters were really meant to serve just one purpose – break records while scaring the absolute living shit out of riders.
The “coaster wars” began in earnest in 1989, when Magnum XL-200, the world’s first roller coaster to eclipse 200 feet in height, opened at Cedar Point. As the coaster broke a new barrier when it came to height, Cedar Point marketed the ride as the world’s first “hypercoaster,” meaning a roller coaster that reaches or exceeds 200 feet in height or drop length.
Many of the largest parks in the U.S. raced for the recordbooks throughout the decade, with Millennium Force at Cedar Point opening as the first-ever coaster to reach a height of 300 feet – being known as the planet’s first “gigacoaster.”
Since then, two more height barriers have been broken – with Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point eclipsing 400 feet as the world’s first “stratacoaster” in 2003, while Falcons Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia is the world’s first and only “exacoaster,” with a total height difference of 640 feet within the historic attraction.
There are currently eight gigacoasters (height or drop length between 300 and 400 feet) in operation across the world, with five of the eight coasters being located in the United States. In chronological order, here’s a look at the gigacoasters currently serving up thrills:
1. Millennium Force, Cedar Point: Sandusky, OH
- Opened: May 11, 2000
- Height: 310 feet (94 meters)
- Drop: 300 feet (91 meters)
- Length: 6,595 feet (2,010 meters)
- Speed: 93 mph (150 km/h)
2. Steel Dragon 2000, Nagashima Spa Land: Kuwana, Mie, Japan
- Opened: Aug. 1, 2000
- Height: 318 feet (97 meters)
- Drop: 307 feet (93.5 meters)
- Length: 8,133 feet (2,479 meters)
- Speed: 95 mph (152.9 km/h)
3. Pantherian, Kings Dominion: Doswell, VA
- Opened: April 1, 2010
- Height: 305 feet (93 meters)
- Drop: 300 feet (91.4 meters)
- Length: 5,100 feet (1,554 meters)
- Speed: 90 mph (145 km/h)
4. Leviathan, Canada’s Wonderland: Vaughan, ON
- Opened: April 27, 2012
- Height: 306 feet (93.3 meters)
- Drop: 306 feet (93.3 meters)
- Length: 5,486 feet (1,672 meters)
- Speed: 92 mph (148 km/h)
5. Fury 325, Carowinds: Charlotte, NC
- Opened: March 25, 2015
- Height: 325 feet (99 meters)
- Drop: 320 feet (98 meters)
- Length: 6,602 feet (2,012 meters)
- Speed: 95 mph (153 km/h)
6. Red Force, Ferrari Land: Salou, Catalonia, Spain
- Opened: April 7, 2017
- Height: 367 feet (112 meters)
- Drop: 345 feet (105.2 meters)
- Length: 2,890 feet (880 meters)
- Speed: 112 mph (180 km/h)
7. Orion, Kings Island: Mason, OH
- Opening: July 1, 2020
- Height: 287 feet (87 meters)
- Drop: 300 feet (91 meters)
- Length: 5,321 feet (1,622 meters)
- Speed: 91 mph (146 km/h)
8. Tormenta Rampaging Run, Six Flags Over Texas: Arlington, TX
- Opening: July 9, 2026
- Height: 309 feet (94 meters)
- Drop: 285 feet (87 meters)
- Length: 4,199 feet (1,280 meters)
- Speed: 87 mph (140 km/h)
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