SAW: The Ride

Thorpe Park's horror coaster with a 100-degree beyond-vertical drop - 10 degrees steeper than straight down.

Is SAW - The Ride open today?

Yes — SAW - The Ride is open right now, with a 5-minute queue (as of 20:02 UK time).

Typically 10 minutes at this hour over the last 28 days, ranging from about 10 minutes at its quietest to 46 at its busiest — that is quieter than usual for this hour. Compare with every other ride →

The Drop: What Makes SAW Different

The beyond-vertical drop is the signature element of SAW: The Ride and the reason most people want to ride it. A standard vertical drop is 90 degrees - straight down. SAW's drop is 100 degrees, meaning the track tilts 10 degrees past vertical. Riders go over the crest and are momentarily angled so they are looking at the ground behind and below them before the train plunges.

At the time of its opening in 2009, SAW had one of the steepest drops of any roller coaster in the world. The drop itself is not the longest - the ride is compact - but the angle makes it feel like a genuine freefall rather than a conventional coaster descent. The effect is more psychological than physical: the stomach-lurch of tilting past vertical is distinct from anything on Thorpe Park's other coasters.

The drop is preceded by a slow, vertical lift hill inside a darkened SAW-themed building, which builds tension deliberately. By the time you reach the top, you have almost no forward visibility - only the drop below.

How steep is the drop on SAW - The Ride?

SAW - The Ride has a 100-degree beyond-vertical drop - steeper than straight down - which made it the world's steepest drop coaster when it opened. The Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter reaches 55mph over a compact, intense layout. The minimum height to ride is 1.4m. Check live SAW queue times, updated every 2 minutes.

About SAW: The Ride

SAW: The Ride opened in 2009 as a collaboration between Thorpe Park and Lionsgate, themed around the SAW horror film franchise. It was built by Gerstlauer, a German manufacturer known for compact, intense coasters with extreme angles. The ride is a Euro-fighter model - a type defined by its small footprint, vertical lift hill, and beyond-vertical drops.

What to Expect

The ride begins in a darkened indoor section with SAW film imagery, sound effects, and an atmosphere designed to unsettle. The vertical lift hill is slow and creaking, building tension deliberately. When the beyond-vertical drop comes, riders are momentarily angled so they are looking at the ground behind and below them before the plunge.

The outdoor section that follows is fast and compact - SAW's shorter layout compared to the park's larger coasters means each element is dense and close together. The ride has a noticeably rougher character than the B&M coasters, which some find adds to its intense personality.

The horror theming is present throughout the queue line and station. Those sensitive to horror imagery or confined, darkened spaces should consider this before joining the queue.

Tips for Riding SAW: The Ride

• Be aware of the horror theming. The queue, station, and indoor section feature graphic SAW-franchise imagery. Not suitable for young children regardless of height.
• The drop is psychological as much as physical. The beyond-vertical angle is more visually disorientating than physically extreme - the actual G-forces are less intense than Stealth's launch, but the stomach-lurch of tilting past vertical is distinct.
• Queues peak mid-afternoon. SAW is popular with groups and tends to build queues later in the day than Stealth or Hyperia. Mornings are typically better.
• Front row for the indoor drop view. The front gives the clearest sightline down the drop angle. Back row intensifies the launch feel.
• Check the live queue. Use the live queue page to time your visit - SAW's queues fluctuate significantly throughout the day.

When to Ride SAW - The Ride

SAW is the great queue trap of Thorpe Park. Its eight-seat cars load slowly, so the queue-to-wait ratio is the worst of any coaster here: a line that looks modest can still mean 45 minutes, and on peak days SAW's posted time is frequently as long as Stealth's despite far fewer people actually standing in it. It is also the coaster most prone to brief technical pauses, which concertina the queue further.

Strategy: either ride SAW early - it is close to the park entrance, making it a natural second stop after the Hyperia/Stealth rope-drop - or commit to it late in the day once posted times drop below 20 minutes. Mid-afternoon SAW on a busy day is almost never worth it; that same half hour spent at The Swarm or Inferno buys two rides instead of half a queue. As always, sanity-check the posted time against the live data.

Good to Know Before You Queue

The 100-degree beyond-vertical drop is the headline, but the indoor section that precedes it - traps, blades and jump-scares from the films - is what sets the tone, and the theming has real menace. Younger visitors who technically clear the 1.4m height bar may still find the horror imagery too much; the coaster itself is short and sharp rather than relentless.

Comfort notes: the restraints are over-shoulder and the transitions snappy - brace your head on the drop and the outdoor dive loop. During Fright Nights SAW runs into the dark and its queue behaves differently, peaking in the evening instead of mid-afternoon. Riders sensitive to strobe effects should note the indoor section uses them.

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