Ranking the Rides: 14 Completely Mind-Blowing Thrill Rides at Universal Studios and Universal’s Island of Adventure

Known for technologically spectacular rides and one-of-a-kind movie-themed experiences, Universal Orlando has some of the best thrill rides in any theme park. From incredible roller coasters to phenomenal dark rides, they have a little bit of everything. It’s almost too much to take in on a single visit! With that in mind, let’s rank the most thrilling attractions across both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

For this list, we’ll look at both the intensity of the ride and immersive theming, as Universal Studios incorporates both into these experiences. While we didn’t get every ride on our countdown, these are the ones that should be on top of everyone’s to-do list for their next Universal Studios trip!

14. Dr. Doom’s Fearfall

Ranking at the bottom of our list is a Marvel-themed attraction in Islands of Adventure. Dr. Doom’s Fearfall is a space shot attraction that slingshots guests to the top of the 184-foot tower before dropping them back down. The freefall feeling is fun but short. Unfortunately, there’s not much here that you won’t get from any other drop ride you’d find at a local amusement park.

13. Skull Island: Reign of Kong

Everyone loves King Kong, right? Reign of Kong is a trackless dark ride that takes visitors on a dangerous expedition through Skull Island. While there is some impressive animatronics on the ride (including an outright stunningly life-like Kong), most of the action takes place on screens on either side of the ride vehicle. It can feel a bit lackluster during some of the more intense action sequences. Ultimately, your enjoyment of the ride may rely on how much you enjoy the source material.

12. Flight of the Hippogriff

This family-style coaster is great for kids (and parents) ready to take the first step onto a thrill ride. Riders zoom through the Forbidden Forest under Hagrid’s tutelage to learn how to ride one of the many magical creatures of the Harry Potter Universe. The Buckbeak the Hippogriff animatronic is a nice addition but ultimately this is geared toward younger riders.

11. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

Blending 3-D projections with practical sets and fun effects, this dark ride is great for Marvel fans of all ages. Some of the technology is a little dated (as the ride opened in 1999 with Islands of Adventure and was last updated in 2012), it’s still an exciting romp through New York City bringing riders face-to-face with various villains as you follow Spider-Man through the action. It’s a lot of fun!

10. Jurassic Park River Adventure

One of the original rides to open with Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Jurassic Park River Adventure is a water-based attraction with a slow start that certainly sticks the landing. While the ride begins as a gentle riverboat adventure through the titular dinosaur park, it quickly turns into a “dangerous” situation when the animals break loose in all their animatronic glory. You’ll see life-sized stegosaurus, brachiosaurus, velociraptors, and (of course) the T-Rex before you reach the finale. The 85-foot drop (compared to Splash Mountain’s 52.5-foot drop at Disney’s The Magic Kingdom) will leave even the most seasoned rider a little breathless at the end. Overall, it’s another great thrill ride that kids can enjoy as much as adults.

9. Transformers: The Ride 3D

Race to keep the AllSpark safe in this 3D motion simulator dark ride that gives you a front-row seat to the battle between Autobots and Decepticons. While similar to the Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure, Transformers features more advanced technology to give you a more immersive – and thrilling – experience! By all accounts, the ride is more fun than the films themselves!

8. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott’s

The flagship attraction from the Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley expansion at Universal Studios, Escape from Gringotts combines dark ride elements, projection screens, and roller coaster portions to create an action-packed ride. There are a few roller coaster elements on the ride but most of the action is told through 3D screens and some impressive trickery to bring characters and elements from the Harry Potter films to life. What’s most impressive is the ride queue, taking you through Gringott’s Bank where incredibly lifelike goblins peer down at you as you pass. It’s as close to being in a scene from the film franchise as you can get!

7. Men in Black: Alien Attack

What’s better than a dark ride taking you through a secret government organization dedicated to handling the complications of alien presences on Earth? How about playing as one of the Men in Black new recruits and shooting your way through a surprise alien invasion of downtown New York? Men in Black: Alien Attack is a shooting gallery interactive dark ride that is one of our favorites at Universal Studios Florida. It’s a like stepping into a giant video game where you’re the main character.

6. Hollywood Rip-Ride Rocket

This steel coaster is a classic theme park thrill ride. Maxing out at 167 ft with a top speed of 65 mph, it’s a favorite of roller coaster fans. While it doesn’t have a classic inversion, its unique feature is a non-inverting loop and a non-inverting corkscrew. You can choose your own soundtrack for the ride, selecting one of over 30 songs (including a secret menu of another 60 to choose from) to make each trip a unique experience. While this coaster is fun, there’s not a lot of theming involved beyond the musical element.

5. Revenge of the Mummy

Half dark ride and half roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy brings both elements together into a delightful romp that’s a little bit spooky and a whole lot of fun. With animatronics, fire effects, and a backward portion that sends guests into the pitch blackness at the start of the coaster, this ride remains a classic at the park (especially for fans of the 1999 film). While there are no inversions on this coaster, the overall theming combined with plunging through the darkness at great speeds more than makes up for it.

4. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

The premiere Harry Potter ride at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Forbidden Journey is a 4D adventure dark ride where you follow Harry Potter through an exciting quidditch match, face down the terrifying Whomping Willow, are chased down by dementors, and eventually, even come face-to-face with a dragon!

It blends practical animatronics and intricate physical set pieces with immersive screen elements to give you an experience like no other. Not only does the ride showcase some spectacular special effects and overall experience, but the queue also takes you through the halls of Hogwarts Castle itself. It really is the peak experience for every Harry Potter fan.

3. The Incredible Hulk Coaster

The Marvel-themed launch coaster is the most intense ride in either of the Universal parks in Orlando. Located on Marvel Superhero Island in Islands of Adventure, the Hulk coaster starts off with a bang – or in this case, a launch tube – that takes riders from 0 to 40 mph in two seconds. It reaches speeds of 67 mph. The ride features seven inversions including a zero-G roll, a cobra roll, two vertical loops, and two corkscrews. To say that it’s a thrill drastically undersells the experience!

2. Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure

Dubbed the “story coaster” by Universal, Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure is a multiple-launch steel coaster in the Wizarding World section of Islands of Adventure. The coaster takes riders through the Forbidden Forest, winding around several amazing scenes featuring life-sized animatronics of rare magical creatures from the Harry Potter series before launching the ride cars into a new section. It’s been a parkgoer favorite since it opened in 2019 and is a must-ride for most visitors.

1. Jurassic World VelociCoaster

As one of Universal’s newer rides (debuting in 2021), the VelociCoaster is a relentless thrill ride that incorporates some of the most exciting elements of the Jurassic Park franchise. It’s also the best roller coaster in either of the Universal parks. Moreover, when you include the theming (including the animatronic raptors in the queue) it might even be the best one in Florida!

It launches riders 70 mph upwards to 155 feet then drops them down at an 80-degree angle. There are four inversions, including a heartline roll (dubbed the “Mosasaurus Roll”) that leaves you hanging weightless at 53 mph.

While there are plenty more fantastic rides and attractions at both Universal Orlando parks, these are the ones that make our Must Ride list every time. What do you think of our list? And how does it rank up against your favorites?

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