With the calendar about to turn from 2025 to 2026, it's time to fire up the hype train for the most anticipated new attractions of the new year.
Let's start with my early pick for the best new coaster of 2026, at least in the United States. It's Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Hollywood. The Intamin coaster has been testing (without riders) for weeks now, fueling hopes of an opening not long after the new year begins.
When it debuts, Hollywood Drift will become the fastest coaster at any Universal theme park worldwide, reaching a top speed of 72 mph. Themed to cars drifting around corners in a street race, Hollywood Drift will run 4,100 feet on the hillside between the park's Upper and Lower Lots, with the track passing over the Starway escalators that connect them.
The question of the moment is that drifting effect. Will it feel like lateral Gs pushing riders in opposition to the turns, or will Hollywood Drift sputter out and feel like just another spinning coaster? We will not know until guests start riding, but Intamin's recent track record with Universal is outstanding: Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and new this year, Hiccup's Wing Gliders. These are great attractions that blend roller coaster thrills with engaging placemaking. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift seems a perfect opportunity for Intamin and Universal Creative to launch another winner.
If they do, this might become the first global top 10 coaster in Southern California in years. It's been too long since California coaster fans have welcomed a truly world-class roller coaster. That it might come from Universal Studios Hollywood - a park that has never had a "grown up" outdoor roller coaster before, feels as unlikely as the drought that local coaster fans have to endure since Twisted Colossus opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain a decade ago.
Here is Universal's hype video for the new coaster:
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