My last rankings were in April 2024 so to say they are outdated is a bit of an understatement. Since then I've ridden near on 200 new coasters; ticked off big chunks of the bucket list (multiple times) and experienced re-rides on many of my old favourites. Needless to say, now on 504 creds, it's time for an update to mark the end of 2025. Some thoughts below:
My number 1 is a Zamperla
Now there's a sentence I didn't see myself ever bashing into my keyboard. Whilst yes, the crime scene still has Intamin's fingerprints all over it, in the form of a massive tophat & track design (and let's be honest the trains aren't far off either); what Zamperla has done with
Top Thrill 2 is an absolute marvel.
This is the first time that I can say the old equation of Hydraulics > LSM's has been truly put to the test for me. Traditionally the acceleration of a hydraulic launch would always do more for me, but there isn't really anything else on the planet like the showmanship of these launches (especially at night).
I cannot accurately describe the feeling of rolling out the station onto the launch track, the train seeming ant-like compared to the towering structure before you. Racing lights count down on the humongous tophat and as they go out, a bowel scraping sub-drop fills the air like the coaster is a beast come to life, mocking your audacity to dare travel its course. The first launch acts as a perfect teaser, before Mr Zamperla cuts the bullsh*t sending you backwards, hurtling uncontrollably at 100mph, body flailing against the tiny (yet comfortable) restraint. Then you rise, rise and rise again. The train climbing higher and higher backwards, and as it slows you leave the mortal realm, hitting what feels like the divine apex of coaster ascendancy. Euphoria. Finally you fall and with one last roar the LSM's shoot you faster than ever before, conquering a tower that felt inconceivable to climb mere seconds ago. The ascent feels easy, yet well earned, and as you dive back down to earth you're again ejected through 270 degrees of freefall bliss, before finally blasting into the breaks.
Now I appreciate that description is very w*anky, and I expect it to induce several eyerolls amongst those that don't think so highly of it, however personally, I f*cking love it. Number 1. End of discussion.
Not the best coaster in the world, but pretty damn good
I've had two separate trips to Cedar Point since my last rankings and whilst it didn't leave me in awe on my first visit,
Steel Vengeance definitely proved itself with subsequent rides in 2025. Like a well trained pokemon, SteVe feels like the natural evolution of brilliant coasters like Twisted Timbers and Untamed; with more of the same fantastic airtime, brutal pacing and inversions profiled to perfection. It does a hell of a lot and maybe it would be a little higher without those final 4 thigh bashing bunny hills at the end. The thing that places Zadra above it for me is the variety, where SteVe almost solely focuses on Airtime, Zadra feels like it gives you a tiny bit more breathing space to really take in those initial big elements before slamming you through the rest of its layout.
The Mack Revolution
Gone are the days of underwhelming launches and cookie-cutter inversions, our friends over in Germany are firmly stating their case for the market leader in the extreme category of coaster hardware. Ride to Happiness was the first taste most Europeans had of how far Mack could push it and it's only gotten better from there. Stardust Racers and Voltron are now in my top 25.
Clearly their magnum opus,
Voltron is the culmination of everything that proceeded, a showcase of everything they have learned and innovated on since their inception. It is a thrill machine for enthusiasts that love thigh bruising airtime, intense inversions and relentless pacing. Even with the break halfway through, it feels like a necessity with just how much it throws at you. It gets better and better with every ride, and considering I take the outside seat every time, I have no idea where the much criticised "roughness" exists. Well deserved of it's spot at number 2.
Intamin still provide a gold standard
There are 11 coasters from Intamin in my top 25. Consistency is the word here and when Intamin put their minds together for an extreme coaster, it's always going to be great. Since my last ranking both Manta and Maverick have found their way into my list, and despite them being down the bottom end, they won't move with ease.
Near missers
It gets a lot harder each time I look at this list, 504 creds is not easy to whittle down and it feels slightly wrong omitting some of the amazing coasters I've ridden from this list.
B&M have suffered the most. I love a hyper and an invert, yet they can't wow me strongly enough to compete with the other rides here. I think that Mako, Shambhala and Silver Star are all worthy and narrowly miss the cut. The same goes for inverts like Black Mamba and Oziris. Leviathan and Orion are both solid rides, but neither come close to the power of Fury or i305.
Other victims include Mystic Timbers, Phantoms Revenge, Flying Aces, Fonix and Millennium Force. All coasters I love, that just didn't quite make the cut.
Then you have the weird ones that missed out. The Beast, Space Mountain (Disneyland California) and Lightning Run. Strange coasters that exist in a odd space between crap and amazing, yet always calling me back to ride one more time.
Dishonourable mention
Throughout the 20 months since my last ranking there is one coaster that stands out as my biggest let down. It may be sacrilege to some, but no matter how hard I tried,
The Voyage just did not do it for me. It might have been the heat, the fact it came midway through an intense USA coaster road trip or just the way the wind was blowing that day, sadly I feel like this may be a step to far.
For starters, I didn't really get any airtime, those first two hills offer so much promise, but my butt barely lifted out the seat. The rest of it just felt like a test of endurance and by the end, I was just waiting for it to be over. I've never had that sensation on a coaster before, even on something rough like an SLC. I can admire the power of it, I just don't think wood was ever designed to handle those manoeuvres at that speed. Maybe I'll go back and try again one day, but with it being such a pain in the arse to get to from the UK, it wouldn't surprise me if that day never comes.
Thank you for those who bothered to read to the end, hopefully it didn't make you feel like I did on The Voyage! See you in 2026!
