5 Scariest Rides at Universal Studios Hollywood, Ranked (2026)

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Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is the scariest ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, and it knocked Revenge of the Mummy off the top the day it opened. I am an annual passholder and I have been on every ride in the park more times than I can count.

Here are the five that can actually frighten you, ranked, with the height limit and my scare factor for each, and the rides that will not scare anyone at the end.

1. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift

📏 Minimum height: 51″ (130cm), the tallest in the park
😱 Scare factor: 5/5
🧍 Single rider: Not confirmed at opening

Hollywood Drift opened on 16 September 2026 and it is the most intense ride at Universal Studios Hollywood by a considerable margin, which is also why it tops my ranking of the best rides in the park. Universal’s own figures for it:

• The park’s first outdoor roller coaster
• Up to 72mph on 4,100 feet of track
• One inversion, visible from the path outside
• Cars that rotate through 360 degrees as they run
• 51 inch minimum height, the tallest in the park

I rode it twice in preview and came off both times without a hint of motion sickness, because it is smooth rather than rough. The restraint is an over-the-shoulder harness, the whole ride lasts just over a minute, and the inversion is visible from the path outside, which is where the nerves start for most people.

If you are nervous, this is the one to leave until last, or to skip. Nothing else in the park comes close to it, and the 51 inch height requirement rules out most children under about eight.

2. Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride

📏 Minimum height: 48″ (122cm)
😱 Scare factor: 4/5
🧍 Single rider: Yes

Revenge of the Mummy was the scariest ride at Universal Studios Hollywood until Hollywood Drift arrived, and it is still the one to build up to if Drift is too much. It is an indoor coaster in near darkness that launches to 45mph and runs backwards for a stretch, and the darkness is what frightens people, not the track.

It does not go upside down and there are no big drops, which is why I love it. It is one of the few rides in the park that is not a motion simulator, so it is the thrill ride for anyone who cannot stomach the screens.

The mummies, scarab beetles and fire effects may scare younger children more than the speed does.

3. Jurassic World: The Ride

📏 Minimum height: 42″ (107cm)
😱 Scare factor: 4/5
🧍 Single rider: Yes

Jurassic World is the only water ride in the park, and for most of it you drift past dinosaurs in a boat. The scare is the finale, an 84 foot drop into a pool that is the biggest drop at Universal Studios Hollywood, with the Indominus rex loose behind you.

You will get wet, and on a cool day that matters more than the drop, so ride it in the afternoon. The paddock next to the exit runs the Raptor Encounter, which is a good way to gauge whether a nervous child is ready for the ride before you queue.

4. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

📏 Minimum height: 48″ (122cm)
😱 Scare factor: 3/5
🧍 Single rider: Yes

Forbidden Journey is not a coaster. You hang from a robotic arm that swings you over Hogwarts and through the castle, and the largest physical drop is about five feet, so what scares people is the darkness, the Dementors and the spiders, not height.

It is a simulator, but a gentler one than Transformers and The Simpsons, and I can stomach it. If the standby wait is short, walk through the castle queue even if you do not plan to ride, because the interior is the best set in the park and the queue is where children decide whether they are brave enough.

5. Transformers: The Ride 3-D

📏 Minimum height: 40″ (102cm)
😱 Scare factor: 2/5
🧍 Single rider: Yes

Transformers has no drops and no inversions. It is a 3D simulator on a track that tilts, slides and spins while Optimus Prime fights the Decepticons around you, and the scare is the storyline and the volume rather than anything physical.

It is a known motion sickness trigger, and I skip it for that reason. If you are doing both simulators in one day, ride this one before The Simpsons rather than after.

The Rides That Will Not Scare Anyone

Seven rides and attractions are left, and none of them will frighten a nervous adult:

• The Simpsons Ride, 40 inches. A domed-screen simulator with no drops. The only risk is motion sickness, and it is the worst in the park for that
• Flight of the Hippogriff, 39 inches. A family coaster with one 30 foot drop that is over in under a minute, and the right first coaster before the Mummy
• Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, 40 inches. Never leaves the ground, with a few sharp turns and a visor game
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, 40 inches. A mild simulator with stationary seats at the front
• The Secret Life of Pets, 34 inches. A slow dark ride at about five miles an hour
• Silly Swirly and Kung Fu Panda, no height requirement. A spinning bug ride and a seated show
• The Studio Tour, no height requirement. The flash flood, Jaws and King Kong 360 3-D are loud, but the tram never leaves the road

If that is your list, the best rides for kids at Universal Studios Hollywood ranks them properly, and there is plenty to do at Universal Studios Hollywood without riding anything at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions I get asked most about the scary rides at Universal Studios Hollywood.