Best Rides at Thorpe Park (2026)

Every major ride ranked, plus the scariest, tallest and fastest - and the smartest order to ride them.

The best ride at Thorpe Park is Hyperia, the UK's tallest and fastest roller coaster at 72m and 81mph, opened in 2024. Behind it, Stealth, Nemesis Inferno and The Swarm round out the top tier. Rankings here are our editorial view, based on ride experience, signature moments and how they hold up across a full day - and every ride links to its live queue time so you can plan around the waits.

Thorpe Park's best rides, ranked

1. Hyperia - The headline act. A 72m hyper coaster with a 90-degree drop, 81mph top speed and relentless airtime. The UK's tallest and fastest, and the ride most people come for.
2. Stealth - The launch coaster that fires you to 80mph in under two seconds over a 62.5m top hat. Short but unforgettable, and still one of the UK's best starts to any ride.
3. Nemesis Inferno - An inverted coaster where your feet dangle through fast, low-to-the-ground inversions. Consistently smooth and a crowd favourite.
4. The Swarm - A wing coaster that seats you either side of the track with nothing above or below. The near-miss theming and floaty first drop make it a standout.
5. Colossus - Ten inversions, once a world record. It shows its age but remains a bucket-list count-the-loops ride and rarely has the longest queue.
6. SAW - The Ride - Built around a 100-degree beyond-vertical drop, the steepest in the park. The most intimidating first drop at Thorpe Park.
7. The Walking Dead: The Ride - An indoor coaster wrapped in heavy theming and live actors. As much a scare attraction as a ride.
8. Detonator - A 100ft (30m) drop tower with a sudden freefall release. Quick to ride and a great palate-cleanser between coasters.
9. Tidal Wave - The UK's tallest water ride. You will get soaked, which makes it an afternoon favourite on warm days.
10. Rush - A giant swing that arcs to 23m at speed. Gentler than it looks and a good group ride.

What is the scariest ride at Thorpe Park?

SAW - The Ride is the scariest coaster at Thorpe Park, thanks to its 100-degree beyond-vertical drop - you are tipped past straight down before the track falls away. For pure fear rather than g-force, the Ghost Train horror dark ride and the seasonal Fright Nights scare mazes are the most frightening things in the park, both using live actors. If you want the thrills without the biggest drops, the The Swarm and Nemesis Inferno deliver speed and inversions with a less punishing first drop.

Tallest and fastest rides

Hyperia is both the tallest ride at Thorpe Park (72m) and the fastest by top speed (81mph). Stealth is the fastest-accelerating - 80mph in under two seconds - and the second tallest at 62.5m. For the full picture, including drop heights and minimum height to ride, see our Thorpe Park height restrictions guide and the full ride list with every height and thrill level.

Best rides for younger or nervous visitors

Thorpe Park is a thrill park, but there are gentler highlights. Flying Fish is a genuine family coaster and many children's first, Depth Charge and Storm Surge are fun water rides, and Rush and Quantum give a big-ride feeling without inversions. If you are visiting with children, our honest guide to Thorpe Park with kids covers what each height band unlocks and whether another park suits your group better.

Best order to ride Thorpe Park

The best rides are only the best if you are not stuck in a two-hour queue for them. A simple plan beats the crowds:

• At opening, walk straight to Hyperia and Stealth - the two rides whose queues grow fastest.
• Late morning to midday, ride the high-capacity coasters that eat their queues quickly: Colossus, The Swarm and Nemesis Inferno.
• Afternoon, save the water rides for the warmest part of the day, and pick off shorter flat rides using live queue data.
• Last hour, re-ride your favourite - queues often drop sharply in the final 60 minutes before close.

Check the live queue times before you commit to any queue, see whether the park is busy today, and read the full beat-the-queues guide for the day-by-day strategy. The queue calendar shows which dates are quietest if you can still choose when to visit.

Frequently asked questions