Roller coasters are getting better, here's why

Roller coasters are getting better. Not taller, nor faster, but better. The majority of the world's best 10 roller coasters opened in the last 5 years. But, what's causing roller coasters to be better than ever before?
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00:00 Roller coasters are getting better
01:26 World's best roller coasters
04:07 Technological improvements
07:45 Theming and experiences
08:33 Roller coaster layout design
11:00 Not every ride is the best
11:54 Conclusion
VIDEOS
Jamie Rogers - • Project Exodus POV || ...
Airtime Thrills Raw Footage - • Corkscrew at Silverwoo...
Canobie Coaster - • New Texas Giant Off-Ri...
Canobie Coaster - • Cobra's Curse Off-Ride...
Canobie Coaster - • Tigris Off-Ride Footag...
Coaster Hipster - • Zadra, Energylandia NO...
Coaster Hipster- • Hyperion, Energylandia...
Coaster Studios - • New Revolution Off-Rid...
Coaster Thrills - • Iron Gwazi Off-Ride Bu...
Coaster Thrills - • Fønix Off-Ride Fårup S...
ElToroRyan - • The Voyage Off-Ride - ...
psyclonesteve - • SCHOCKWAVE SIX FLAGS ...
Soltau Cruiser - • 4K | Kingda Ka (world'...
Thrill Seekers And Hell Raisers - • Corkscrew off-ride foo...
Universal Orlando Resort - • The Incredible Hulk Co...
Universal Orlando Resort - • FULL EXPERIENCE: Juras...
Six Flags Over Texas - • Official New Texas Gia...
Energylandia - • ZADRA Wooden Coaster P...
Cedar Point - • Steel Vengeance - Offi...
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay & Adventure Island - • Official Iron Gwazi PO...
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay & Adventure Island - • Tigris 4K POV | Busch ...

[@coasterbot]

If you enjoyed this video it would mean a lot to subscribe to my channel! We're slowly making our way to 100k 🤯

[@psykalag]

Subbed. I just found your channel and I've been binging your videos

[@TruthSeeker-rn1tm]

You do great work and you have my sub!

[@Gavin6168]

I shall suuuuuubbbb!!!!

[@eriknelsen5954]

You should look at the old rollercoasters that still made the top 100 and make a video about why they are so special.

[@coasterbot]

That would be interesting! Thanks for the idea 😊

[@ccubsfan94]

I think manufacturers are really focusing on restraints, and forces/elements that are fun, and not just numbers. The 90s and 2000s were height and speed records pushers. Then the 2008 crash probably slowed down things a ton, where a resurgence in spending allowed parks to start buying new rides. And the engineers and companies were ready to show them what they had.

[@coasterbot]

Very true!

[@CZsWorld]

Could recency bias be a part of this too? While I do think it's possible that people are swayed by recency bias, my top 3 is Steel Vengeance, Iron Gwazi and Velocicoaster as well.

[@fetuffani]

I do think recency bias IS part of the equation.

[@coasterbot]

Recency bias is definitely a part of it! The 'newer' rides are more exciting because they are newer. But, where does that line end? Is Fury 325, ranked 5th, still new despite opening 8 years ago?

[@MattMcIrvin]

Also, older coasters are more likely to be in worse shape by now and giving rougher rides than they once did. Though certainly such things as retracking work can affect this. Canobie's Yankee Cannonball, from 1936, is smoother now than it was the first time I rode it in 2010. When I took the Vote Coasters poll this year I actually had a lot of angst about how to rank Boulder Dash. I rode it this past year and, quite frankly, it's gotten so rough that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Phobia Phear Coaster, an off-the-shelf Premier Sky Rocket II (basically the same as Tigris) at the same park. But to rank Phobia Phear Coaster over Boulder Dash? That didn't seem right. I ended up striking some kind of balance between my experience in 2022, and my knowledge of what the coaster was before and what it potentially could be.

[@wt7553]

8 years ago is a while ago but people are still riding them for the first time.

[@njdotson]

I may have some bias, but some of my favorites are older ones that I've been on a lot when I was younger. Objevtively not as cool, though

[@evilpeach2]

I think roller coasters getting smoother and more comfortable have made coasters better. Getting beaten up and pushed around doesn't have to be apart of the roller coaster experience anymore. I think this trend started with B&M. That's why Kumba is still standing and Drachen Fire is not anymore.

[@Skullair313]

I would agree, the seats are also better padded and the restraints are shaped in a more ergonomical way. This becomes apparent, when you ride a rollercoaster before and after it received new trains. When your head used to slam into hard plastic coated parts in an inversion, they have now implemented a softer surface.

[@YTAnalyzed]

I used to think you needed some record breaker to impress, then I rode Velocicoaster and Iron Gwazi, and I can completely understand when you say they are getting 'better'

[@coasterbot]

Awesome to hear!

[@mxstila6220]

@@coasterbot I live really close to Busch Gardens Tampa (I won’t say the exact distance, but around 30-45 minutes away) and waited to ride Iron Gwazi from when it was announced in Fall 2019 to when it came out in March 2022. The ride did advertise as holding a few records for hybrid coasters, but ultimately what made it fun for me (and many others) was the layout, as you mentioned in the video. I rode Velocicoaster before it was even supposed to come out (in the end of May 2021 they opened it; yet the set date was June 10th, 2021 and I happened to be at universal at that time) and thought it was amazing for the design, layout, and theming of the coaster. I also managed to ride Steel Vengeance relatively recently and loved it for the same reason: the layout of the coaster itself. I definitely noticed how the change in layout of coasters (as well as theming; I actually really enjoyed Hagrid’s motorbike adventure in Universal for that reason) was making them so much more enjoyable, and was patiently waiting for you to mention it in this video. *Note: Being so close to Busch Gardens, I have ridden a majority of the rides and all of the thrill coasters there. I’ve actually been able to somewhat see the evolution of coasters by comparing the differences in design as a whole and time that they came out with the other coasters in the park. Older coasters there were more likely to reflect technological advances in thrill factors, while newer ones tended to be more fun as a whole. I would say this applies to most coasters in other parks as well. And no, I am not a coaster nerd. I just live in Florida

[@MattMcIrvin]

Alan Schilke seems to have thought that RMC's amazing ride, that combination of smoothness and intensity, comes to some extent from their I-Box track design--the ability to make a track with a cross-section shaped more like wooden coaster track, wheels rolling on flat surfaces, do the kinds of twists in three dimensions that used to only be possible with tubular rails. That is absolutely a technological innovation, the result of computer-controlled fabrication of the track.

[@spentron1]

Alan stepped up to the plate to do justice to the advantages of the new track. At the same time, innovation was needed due to some limitations, especially as wood support structures still don't support the same level of positive forces.

[@JackSassyPants]

The coaster wars brought a lot of rides that felt super grand in scale, taking up huge areas of parks and having towering elements. I think a major shift came from Cedar Point though: after debuting Top Thrill Dragster as the world's tallest in 2003 (and then getting one-upped in 2005 by Kingda Ka) the park decided to build Maverick next. The pivot to a ground-hugging coaster with smaller trains and more focus on forces than speed worked out really well for them, and the entire post-coaster war industry can be summed up by its original marketing tagline: "It doesn't have to be the biggest to be the baddest"

[@keiyakins]

People've also gotten a better grasp on what forces are fun, and how to induce them - even gentler coasters are getting better because they use their limited intensity better

[@VestedUTuber]

@@keiyakins "even gentler coasters are getting better because they use their limited intensity better" Case in point, Oscar's Wacky Taxi

[@easynhonest]

You could have mentioned the OLDEST coaster in that top 50 list which is 76 years old (1947,1985) and that is the famous Phoenix coaster at Knoebels. Good old fashion maintenance works just as good as total transformations like RMC does.💪

[@coasterbot]

It would have been great to analyse all of the top 50/100! As I said in the video, some older rides were great when they opened and are just as great today!

[@andreaboyer2912]

all the wooden coasters at Kennywood are also kept up and I hope never get an RMC treatment. I love RMC but a great wooden is fantastic

[@easynhonest]

@@andreaboyer2912 I agree 100%, and any wood coaster bult before the eighties should never be RMC'd especially Leap The Dips😅

[@scottnelson9]

There’s nothing wrong with old school wooden coasters, but how many of the coasters were actually popular before RMC came in? My home park has a hybrid coaster and one of the older woodies is getting a Gravity Group retrack. Allen Schilke’s entire point in Creating RMC was to prolong the life of wooden coasters before he even conceptualized the ibox track.

[@timk987]

Actually, If rides like The Beast, Blue Streak, Racer, and all the other old wood coasters that used to run the old PTC trains without headrest, seat dividers, individual ratcheting lap bars and seat belts. What Phoenix is really a tribute to is the padded bench seat and single position buzz bar!

[@mennograafmans1595]

Gotta say, I'm happy to see the netherlands being represented on this list. Quite a few shots from Walibi Holland and the Efteling. I definitly didn't expect the last park to be mentioned. Because if your biggest rollercoaster is a vekoma looping coaster from the 80's, you're generally not really a big player on the market of coaster enthousiasts. But as you said, you can't beat the Eftelings theming.

[@coasterbot]

Efteling is a beautiful theme park, one of the best I've been to recently. I think it's always worth noting that bigger doesn't always mean better!

[@spentron1]

It's good some new supporting coasters are being built. The emphasis has been one new top rides, and I support that personally, but the result was that the "mild" rides were often the janky ones.

[@coasterbot]

New roller coasters need to be built for all audiences, not just thrill riders!

[@sidali2590]

Glad somethings are getting better in these tough times

[@coasterbot]

Wow, very true

[@Kcazbarach]

shoutout to the new guardians ride cosmic rewind in epcot. that was quite an experience and gave epcot a desperately needed ride that makes Epcot a must visit IMO (when visiting disney).

[@coasterbot]

Guardians looks incredible!

[@sadiporter2966]

This video could have been much better. You should have mentioned that coasters are now made on computers which can calculate gforces, speeds etc. Trying to do this on paper was primitive before modern software resulting in rides that don't push the boundaries for what is possible. Other improvements you should have mentioned are propulsion systems and brake systems.

[@MyLifeAsBrandon]

This is honestly such a great point I didn’t even think about 👀

[@Coaster101]

I would say it has a lot to do with pacing and just fitting more "stuff' into the same amount of track. For example, where a coaster before might have had an overbanked turn where the rider feels constant positive gs, nowadays that element would probably be a wave turn where you get some positive gs then there is a moment of negative g then back to positive gs. The average track length of coasters may be the same but I'd bet the average number of elements within that same length of track has increased.

[@coasterbot]

That's a great point! Layouts are definitely getting more creative and a bigger number of elements are being crammed in. I'm all for a wider mixture of g-force types!

[@AuraKnight8]

9:09 that’s what loved about the Twisted Cyclone at Six Flags over GA

[@AVdE10000]

In a world where Instagram and TikTok have become the most effective marketing tools and word of mouth is more powerful than ever, impressive numbers as the main gimmick of your ride just aren't as effective crowd attracters anymore. Especially since physics kinda puts a hard limit to how high and fast you can go. Parks are spending their budget way smarter these days, and the lower speeds and stats they now aim for make it possible to have all these crazy new elements that have been popping up everywhere.

[@blakestoudt2131]

Awesome poll and analysis. I'm endlessly fascinated by coaster polling. I would love to see a poll using the same methods asking people to rank the parks with the best coaster collections - maybe something to think about?

[@differentlydifferent]

They have plenty of list that are similar to something like this. It's always Six Flags Magic Mountain and Cedar Point taking the top two spots

[@coasterbot]

Thanks! We've thought about this before, it would be cool to see. Though parks have a lot more as part of the experience compared to roller coasters: - rides - theme - general vibe - food - operations

[@Justawaffle12]

So happy to see Fury 325! I live in Sourth Carolina, USA, where Carowinds is located, and am happy too see my favorite rollercoaster represented!

[@KyaneTiger]

Great job on this video. I would say for the future I’m seeing a pattern with Roller Coasters having a elaborate theming. There are roller coasters in the past that have theming but not to the extent of Velocicoaster which sparked a new wave of how to experience a roller coaster through story telling.

[@katiewennerberg210]

Great look! I’m a massive RMC fan because of their wild coaster style, but they don’t typically go for big records, it’s all about ride quality. Even their original, the wonderful New Texas Giant at my home park is an absolute blast, though it doesn’t come close to comparing to their new rides. When I went last year to 11 new parks I finally understood that record breaking isn’t always best. Riding Phoenix and having some of the same insane airtime experiences that new coasters have showed several things. People love airtime, good maintenance is important, and just because something is small doesn’t mean it can’t be intense. Twisted Cyclone at SF Over Georgia is another example, it’s smaller than I think a lot of RMCs are so I expected it to pack less of a punch, but it was insane. Truly the design is more important than just the records a ride holds

[@stopghoztingaround4112]

It’d be interesting to see a vid of “What is Alton Towers” and the history of it as not many American knows it interesting story behind it

[@CheesecakeMilitia]

I think another part of this is how few roller coasters most people have ridden. If it's your first visit to Busch Gardens Tampa, of course the newest and smoothest ride will blow you away the most. And if you haven't ridden any RMC's, it'll feel especially life changing. Duplicate that experience for a lot of people, and even with the pairwise Mitch Hawker method of comparing coasters you're still gonna see popularity of certain parks (especially from the US) with their most fresh and exciting rides bubble up to the top of these polls. I do think it's more interesting to see which of these rides will stand the test of time, though. Even once they become rough, there are some rides that would completely change their character if they ever got reprofiled; Magnum XL-200 being a good example (they better not ever take away those triangular airtime hills). Phoenix at Knoebels is another good example of what types of "great ride experiences" have been lost over time. But it's hard to appreciate those aspects of older rides if you're just starting out as an enthusiast and a local park gets the latest and greatest thing. So lots of new rides bubble up to the top of small ranking lists, and big ranking lists tend to have more older rides closer to the top. Checking the numbers on your site, it looks like the average ranking list size was 50, which seems small to me? IDK, this is just my hypothesis as someone with a list too big to manage (and I don't have half as many credits as you, I think). But Big Dipper at Camden Park is legit more brilliant and terrifying than Iron Rattler, to me, and I don't think any polls will ever be able to capture or appreciate what older rides like it bring to the table. Which is where curators that make an effort to spotlight small and unique rides come in.

[@F4billionyearzag0]

Great video!

[@coasterbot]

Thanks!

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

You must be flying to Orlando soon Harry, you are in for a treat . I’ve only ridden two of the top ten but they are no 3 and 1 May the parks be quiet and lines short 🤞🏼🤞🏼… enjoy 🧱👍🏼

[@coasterbot]

Thanks guys! We fly in just less than two weeks, I couldn't tell you how excited I am. 😍

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

@@coasterbot . I’m not going and I’m excited for you !! 🥳🥳🇺🇸🎢🎢🎢

[@granpappy77]

I think what we're going to see is more evolution than revolution, overall quality over impressive stats and smashing records. You see that in many industries - massive change from infancy then a slowdown of brand-new ideas in favor of taking existing ideas and improving on them.

[@mikeschulte4271]

Just rode fury 345 in December and it was in the dark at night so it was absolutely amazing! I knew it was gonna be fun as hell but I didn’t know how much I really would become addicted to it 😂

[@coasterbot]

That sounds incredibly awesome! :)

[@brucegibson1813]

man your videos always hit

[@coasterbot]

You're too kind!

[@mischiefmanaged5757]

We finally got to experience Steel Vengeance last summer. Need to get back over to Florida to give Iron Gwazi and Velocicoaster a go. My personal faves are the hypers and gigas. I Love height and speed!

[@coasterbot]

That sounds awesome! You definitely need to head to Florida now :)

[@KannikCat]

This only makes me seethe more at BG:Tampa, for when I was there in 2021 they had chosen not to open Iron Gwazi, despite it being done and ready to go. So I didn't get to ride its (apparent) awesomeness and it stood there, complete but closed, taunting me. Curse them! :P Alas... hopefully I'll get a chance again sometime in the future. Also, +100 for theming! In my experience it seems many older coasters had theming, at least in the queue area, then that unfortunately dropped off. It's great to see it coming back with more theming incorporated into the ride elements as well. A coaster experience and thrill really depends on all of its bits, not just a single element or even it's "extremeness."

[@GameTimeWithMax]

2:10 I was NOT expecting that!

[@InaudibleWhisper]

Coaster layouts had gotten stale, it was the same elements in different orders so the only way to stand out was to go taller or faster or introduce a new gimmick (standing, flying, spinning etc). RMC essentially tore up the rulebook and said "if its safe and comfortable, we can bend the track whereever the hell we want" and everyones taking risks with their layouts again and it's paying off big time. Also helps that all the major manufacturers now have an acceptable level of smoothness which a decade or two ago was only guaranteed by B&M (who are ironically now the ones playing it safe with their layouts and lagging behind a bit with current trends).

[@MyLifeAsBrandon]

“Lagging behind a bit” is an understatement 😂

[@VestedUTuber]

@@MyLifeAsBrandon Eh, in recent times they've started to come up with some new concepts. It's just that very few of those new concepts have managed to see the light of day.

[@VECTOR_Coasters]

now THIS is a great video

[@coasterbot]

Thank you! :)

[@Razor_Crest]

Hagrid’s is probably my favorite roller coaster, not because it’s the most thrilling, but because the theming is so perfect, that there isn’t a moment of imperfection.

[@coasterbot]

Hagrids looks phenomenal! I can't wait to ride it myself :)

[@Razor_Crest]

@@coasterbot I don't know how you haven't ridden it yet, but I urge you not to look it up (if you haven't already). There are a few surprises that I would hate for you to have spoiled.

[@Leo-zk9rd]

@@coasterbot ride hagrids and then do velocicoaster right after. It’s like having an extremely good first course meal followed by a phenomenal second course meal.

[@Razor_Crest]

@@Leo-zk9rd Last time I went to Universal, Velocicoaster wasn’t open yet. I can’t wait to go back there and ride it for the first time!

[@ArrowThrills]

I miss Arrow Dynamics but at least modern rollercoasters are improving.

[@coasterbot]

Late Arrow Dynamics was pretty cool!

[@spark9189]

there are also some old rollercoasters that are pretty much timeless. the first that comes to mind is disneyland's space mountain. this does tie in to the ride theming being important.

[@coasterbot]

That's true, I'd say quite a few of the Space Mountains are timeless!

[@perebima]

I spent the video deducting weather your British and from the use of shockwave footage (from Drayton manor) when you mentioned stand up coasters, followed by footage from Alton tower coasters. I have decided your British, Along with the mention of project exodus.

[@stopghoztingaround4112]

You can tell by accents

[@punxsutawneyphilofficial]

Was there any sort of correlation in preferences for wooden vs metal roller coasters? Like, did some people rank a lot of wooden roller coasters higher up and others rank a lot of metal ones higher up? I'm not a roller coaster man myself, but I know people who prefer wooden to metal and vice versa. Your data collection was extremely impressive and I'm so glad you're keeping it updated yearly! Sadly, I can't vote in anything, but I hope others take the chance to

[@coasterbot]

Some people definitely prefer steel over wood, and others the opposite. I'd imagine more would prefer steel because they're generally smoother and more comfortable. Though I haven't done any definitive analysis on that!

[@leanen6424]

Something interesting to consider is the former "schematic" design of rollercoasters that many manufacturers no longer follow. I think excellent examples for this is Intamin and Vekoma. If you look at older yet (especially at the time) excellent designs such as Expedition GeForce, you see a very clean design philosophy. The layout of the ride almost looks like its been drawn for the layouts sake. It follows a very clear geometry, camelbacks are straight, curves are banked to minimize laterals and the track back to the station is parallel to the first half. I think the new philosophy sort of kicked off with Hyperion (Taron was still rather systematic and conventional), where the First half was still more conventional, but the second half already was a bit "nonsense". I think the perfect ride to compare and show the new design philosophy is Kondaa. No Element seems to be designed to make a great geometry, but it's designed simply for the sensation of the rider. The banking is off, the Cobra-Roll looks off too, the whole last section close to the ground is just "messy" yet fantastic to ride. Vekoma was very systematic and "cookie-cutter" in their approach too. Compare Goudurix with Fonix. Whereas Goudurix follows in arrows footsteps inversion after inversion with filler track inbetween, Fonix's Elements are more about how they are shaped, how they feel to ride and I almost feel like Vekoma has become less about the Elements itself but how they harmonize and connect with each other. That's why F.L.Y. is such a great ride too. The helices and Inversions are great, but the little dips and changes of directions are in my opinions the most fun sections to ride.

[@crytocc]

I wonder if this might be related to a shift from "sketch out 2D top-view layout on paper and then extrapolate to 3D" to "design directly in three dimensions" in terms of design approach, aided by improved CAD software.

[@averagecoasterenjoyer]

Roller coasters are some of the only things people today can agree that they're getting better

[@coasterbot]

Very true

[@VestedUTuber]

One big factor is probably the introduction of more capable CAD programs and the ability to use spline-based tools and simulations to refine track profiling and come up with new, innovative elements. Machining tolerances are better as well, which results in more precise parts fabrication and thus smoother rides. Basically, as technology improves, so does ride experiences.

[@coasterbot]

100%

[@dustinsensenig9798]

It's rare for me to get out to a theme park with my work schedule and not owning a car. But I love the Velocicoaster

[@coasterbot]

VelociCoaster looks amazing! I can't wait to ride it next week!

[@casuallystalled]

i think some of it is also recency bias, but yeah overall the tracks have to get better in order to remain competitive

[@coasterbot]

Definitely

[@FlashFoxBox]

10:38 Is this still an outbanked-turn, if the roll exceeds 360° ? :D Looks more like an outbanked diveloop, or whatever would you call it? Wasn't everything over 270° considered an inversion? Im not sure anymore.

[@trimlesscoasters]

Wdym Inversions are elements banked over 135°

[@coasterbot]

Very good point, in my mind it's an outward banked turn / hill, which transitions into a full roll. I'm sure we'll get a name for it in the future!

[@FlashFoxBox]

@@trimlesscoasters Yeah sorry. i meant something around 135-180. xD

[@tokyo-rampage5602]

Iron gazi in the back seat is a whole other beast-

[@coasterbot]

It certainly looks it!

[@oofus08]

I am disappointed that my favourite rollercoasters are not even in the top 10 in the world, including the smiler and nemesis

[@OrdinaryPigeon1]

"Maybe you just like the color green." Me: 👁👄👁 yes

[@coasterbot]

Hell yeah!

[@TheRadioAteMyTV]

I have a question. If a roller coaster ride were designed to be completely immersive in a story - as in, the coaster either took the riders through a full story beginning to end (including the queue), that actually told a story - like Back to the Future and the Simpsons, would that make it better or more tiresome on repeat journeys, since the story element locks in where the twists and turns are and eventually removes all surprises? Or, same question but this time making the coaster fundamental to the story, as in, the coasting is required and included in the story, i.e. skiing the slopes to chase or be chased, skateboarding to some end, etc. Are those great ideas or ideas that doom the ride due to killing the surprises because human memory will map the ride out.

[@edvaira6891]

5:05..,Technically, isn’t SMILER, essentially, two separate Gertslauer’s combined into one ride? That is, two separate lift hills and drops with seven inversions each?

[@coasterbot]

Perhaps? Could the same not be said for every double launch coaster, Maverick, Taron, VelociCoaster? The two lift hills only exist to give the trains enough energy to complete the entire layout. I'd rather have an interesting ride like the Smiler that has two lift hills, than a ride like Colossus which repeats the same inversion but only has one.

[@edvaira6891]

@@coasterbot Wasn’t criticizing Smiler so much as I was asking out of curiosity…each part seems so different that it seems like they literally fitted two separate Gerstlauers in sequence so, you basically get TWO RIDES IN ONE!

[@Gamerboss40YT]

I agree with you.

[@markvolpe2305]

RMC isn't the only company that's improving older wooden coasters, look at GCI with their new Titan Track, it's improving the world roughest wooden coaster Predator @ SFDL and they're adding more to it this year, all while keeping the same layout.

[@coasterbot]

Very true, that's a good point!

[@5MadMovieMakers]

Roller coasters peaked with Switchback Railway, change my mind

[@coasterbot]

I thought they peaked with rides that use straight track only?

[@5MadMovieMakers]

@@coasterbot 😆

[@pleaserespond3984]

I DO like the colour green!

[@coasterbot]

Hell yeah!

[@micoasters]

I’m too lazy to go on rcdb right now, fury 325 opened in 2015 right?

[@coasterbot]

Yeah that's right!

[@A.F.Whitepigeon]

Hm... I'd be interested to see the _bottom_ 100. Having previously taken the Vote Coasters poll (I forgot about it this year.), I remember it doesn't include defunct roller coasters. While this does ensure the final rankings represent the world as it exists today, it also potentially intruduces a bias in this analysis. Like most permanent structures, one would expect extant roller coasters to tend to be newer, purely by virtue of maintenance costs and changing consumer tastes. If there are more newer coasters in general, looking at only to top performers could falsely suggest that there tends to be an improvement over time.

[@coasterbot]

This is very true, unfortunately I think it's impossible to know where to draw the line. If a ride closed 30 years ago, people's memories would naturally be drastically skewed. We only feature operating rides because people can experience them today, and their memories of them are more likely to be recent. I also think there's been a considerable improvement in roller coaster design and technology to the point where many would agree roller coasters from this most recent decade or two have been the best so far.

[@cooperboy64]

I mean, if the wild mouse at blackpool was still around that would change my list for sure. I don't know why but the rickety rag rolling and free restraints on a ride that flung you in every possible direction was thrilling and brilliant. Not many where you get that anymore. Especially since the row 8 seat 4 of Nemesis won't be the same anymore as well. Drifting about loosely on a ride is the best part IMO and these days i'm so strapped in I lose that fun.

[@eitanaltshuler2540]

Your poll had some serious selection bias. But, at least, it got Iron Gwazi, correct. Pretty amazing that IG is at the top of every non-scientific poll without fail - cuz it's clearly in another league. Storm Runner at Hershey Park for a model of a steel coaster. Skyrush there is also worth noting, and I guess Wildcat's Revenge is amazing (haven't ridden it yet, but I rode the original a few years ago, and oh man, was it painful.). Thunderhead at Dollywood is also incredible for a pure wooden rollercoaster. I got to ride it in the rain and the dark, which made it even better.

[@coasterbot]

No poll is perfect but I'm curious why you believe it has serious selection bias?

[@eitanaltshuler2540]

@@coasterbot Most people haven't traveled to many parks and will vote for rides they know, which are often limited to their geographic area. Thus, Europeans will vote for European rides, and Americans will do the same. Only America has more people and therefore more votes. Let's not even get into age or time/interest to bother with voting.

[@GarmrWolfFang]

Has anyone came up with the concept of a duel sided one rail coaster? One track on the rail is upright while the other side of the single rail is a different experience like inverted or flight or something and they run at the same time? I know somebody did that Concept on a roller coaster game and made it it look realistic so I wonder If someone has thought of that idea to turn that into an actual coaster. Dual single rail two track coaster. One rail two tracks on either side of the rail thick and strong enough to carry smoothly the weight of two coasters at once? Or maybe its supposed to be described as dual single track coaster?

[@melvinschrab505]

Forgot to mention this when the video came out but I LOVE THE COLOR GREEN!!!!!!!!!

[@coasterbot]

Hell yeah!

[@SuperFlashDriver]

I'd just say wait until the 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s to see how thrilling and crazy roller coasters can get to.

[@coasterbot]

For sure!

[@lemonamon]

RMC is the best thing to have happened to the coaster community. so much modern innovation has been inspired by their work

[@coasterbot]

RMC make incredible rides, that's for sure!

[@Jason-rr1xu]

NEW roller coaster always stir a bias doesnt always mean its a good coaster to this day my 3 favorite coasters are super man: man of steel in six flags new england, boulderdash in lake compounce, and el torro locco

[@Rocksauze]

It's not that strange that Rollercoaster of the last few years are better then those before. It's because the people that grew up playing Rollercoaster Tycoon 1&2 are now making the decisions.

[@jordif7310]

4:58 Actually, Dragon Khan (PortAventura) opened in 1995 with 8 inversions

[@coasterbot]

You're right, there were quite a few roller coasters that broke the inversion record. I mentioned only a few in the video to avoid spending to long on the topic!

[@pappaslivery]

I need to get on fury, Steve, and velocicoaster.

[@coasterbot]

Same!

[@NikanDragosysSerpenDra]

i rode Untamed, seriously, that beast is wild. nothing like the top 10 though? maybe. i mean the airtime moments are mostlly pure ejector and every element follows seamlessly into the next, the coaster truely tries to eject you and eject has shin guard, i felt no discomfort at all, i'd say bring a beer, and then hold my beer.

[@coasterbot]

I think a lot of roller coaster enthusiasts prioritise ejector over anything else, which Untamed has a lot of. It's definitely a great ride!

[@Roin_robin87]

im shocked a swedish roller coaster got into the top 10 as a swede.

[@coasterbot]

Awesome roller coasters can be found all around the world, not just in the USA!

[@scottnelson9]

Get the ABBA soundtrack ready. Now that I’ve said this, Waterloo would be a great coaster audio track.

[@ZoniesCoasters]

1:44 I did not hear an L in there 🤨

[@coasterbot]

Yeah it wasn't very clear, but the L was in there! 😅

[@jaypx9293]

yo bro what did u call six flags great adventure?? 1:44

[@coasterbot]

Six Flags Great Adventure! At least that is what I said just not overly clearly 😅

[@viktoranderas9541]

I got really lucky when u rode Iron Gwasi. There was no que in the whole park the whole day. I rode it at least 5 times. You could just walk through every que right to the train the whole day. Luckiest experience ever.

[@coasterbot]

That is lucky! I had the same situation fortunately. I think I managed about the same number of rides, it's an awesome coaster!

[@ChilliusVGM]

Everyone else has such great taste in coaster whilst here I am with my favourite being Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

[@coasterbot]

Rock n Roller Coaster is pretty cool too!

[@selineoakenarrow3989]

Fury is by far my favorate

[@russell2952]

The entire video can be summarized in one acronym: CAD

[@concertino58]

Could it be that a generation of RCT designers are now designing these "better" coasters? I remember downloading parks from people on New Element and their featured parks always had coasters that had great LAYOUTS and THEME. It wasn't about the records, but how they looked and interacted with their surrounding. I used to love seeing how some designers would create these awesome layouts! That's just my theory :)

[@coasterbot]

Storytelling and creating quality ride experiences has definitely improved roller coasters!

[@whatweather]

He said whilst 😂

[@Foxeral]

0:41 What is this coaster please I’m begging

[@coasterbot]

That's Wildfire at Kolmarden in Sweden!

[@Gabriel.Llorach]

What about Dragon Khan in 1995 with 8 inversions?

[@coasterbot]

Yeah! Dragon Khan held the record when it opened in 1997 - I didn't go through every record-breaking coaster to save time :)

[@Gabriel.Llorach]

@@coasterbot Oh, ok, I thought it was in 1995 but I was off a couple years... 😅

[@livinlavish2464]

I’m getting on iron gwazi tomorrow fml :)

[@beerfish109]

A good roller coaster doesn't have to be tall, doesn't have to be fast, doesn't have to go upside down. A good roller coaster is suprising.

[@coasterbot]

100%

[@bcoda]

was there a traditional steel coaster in the top 20 at least? 😂😂😅

[@coasterbot]

What do you mean by traditional? :)

[@iitzfizz]

B&M's age like fine wine!

[@coasterbot]

They really do!

[@DavidHHH99]

Don't you think that you should have given Mitch Hawker some credit for first coming up with the idea of comparing everyone's favorite coasters against each other, over 20 years ago?

[@poletooke4691]

As a person who has a fear of heights, I hate the height dick measuring contest. Give me an intense but low to the ground coaster please! 😭

[@brawlinharry6461]

its just funny that at the end of the technology-section you just throw out a wild guess that there will not be gamechanging innovation any time soon. which is ALWAYS something that is said right before there is wild innovation that changes everything. maybe in 2 years there will be new single rail coasters sprouting up EVERYWHERE because they offer a better ride experience or some other thing? you cant predict a big shift in technology with innovations that are not invented yet. and it really sounds like you daring the universe to prove you wrong. :D

[@kuth0287]

I am amazed that The Ride to Happiness was not #1

[@dciaudio]

3:08 that’s a big “middle finger” to the roller coaster designers of the ‘80s-‘00s, don’t ya think?

[@sherrynaleszkiewicz1357]

0:19 relatable. How did you know?

[@coasterbot]

Because I too like the colour green ha ha :)

[@its-straws]

I just like smooth and non jerky roller coasters

[@coasterbot]

Me too!

[@jokerface20]

RMC track and layouts are great but the shin guards for taller people Huuurttt!

[@coasterbot]

Oh yeah, the restraints and shin guards are far from good!

[@oriongabriel6966]

Helix and valkyria are slept on by non swedish people.

[@William_Does_Coasters2255]

When will voting start again?

[@caosking7869]

I rode taron

[@coasterbot]

Hell yeah!

[@triple7marc]

Who

[@psykalag]

I think this is very interesting, but there is a lot of room for confounding factors here. You have selection bias and recency bias easily. I'm not sure how many of the people you surveyed are old enough to even rate a roller coaster from the early 2000s. And I would definitely think somebody who wrote a roller coaster last week is going to write that one higher than one that they rode before just because they more recently got excited by it

[@coasterbot]

Oh for sure, it definitely has a lot of bias. There are loads of roller coasters from the 1990s and 2000s today, so people of all ages can still experience rides of the past. You're right though, newer roller coasters are often more exciting, especially for people who have ridden the older ones for a while

[@m_ianO]

2010s was the latest golden era. Before that was the 1980s

[@coasterbot]

Roller coaster development between 1975 and about 2005 was insane!

[@bramstolk990]

02:25 where is Taron : phantasialand :(

[@coasterbot]

Taron ranks 14th - you can find the full rankings here: coasterbot.com/votecoasters-fullresults2022

[@pumkinmr8368]

Coasters I have went on cu chualin😅

[@coasterbot]

That ride looks great, I'd love to experience it one day!

[@pumkinmr8368]

@@coasterbot it's the one coaster I went on Viking voyage it's a log flume so doesn't count as a coaster I have only been to tayto/emerald park and btw cu chualin the gravity group coaster was my first and I almost put my hands up after the overbanked then and I regret not doing it great vid btw

[@The-JAILOR]

I think that Prowler, built in 2009, is better than Zambezi Zinger, built in 2023

[@coasterbot]

Great point, though I'd say that Zambezi Zinger looks to be more family friendly than Prowler. :)

[@Shag471]

You are my favorite rollercoaster nerd. 🤓

[@coasterbot]

Thank you, you're too kind ☺️

[@ledhceb]

Did you compensate for survivor bias and the population surveyed? Given that most premium coasters have a relatively short lifespan and that the survey probably skews younger, newer coasters are going to dominate. Particularly given that with the visceral and subjective nature of the experience memories will skew closer to the present.

[@coasterbot]

I haven't no - I'm not sure how I can compensate for survivor bias. Rides that are no longer open are not ranked in our system either, meaning that there's a trend towards newer rides because there's more of them. I think the memory thing is a great point. Nostalgia will also play a key role in older rides, having a reverse effect for these older roller coasters that are still around today. Though I'm not sure I agree that most premium roller coasters have a relatively short lifespan. As I said in the video, the older rides people think are great today are having their lives extended. Nemesis lasted 28 years before it was retracked!

[@Restmoore]

my favorite rollercoaster is F.L.Y.

[@coasterbot]

FLY looks awesome!