Six Flags Great Adventure · Closed · 2005

Kingda Ka

456 ft · 128 mph

Photo: Jeremy Thompson · CC BY 2.0

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ExtremeSix Flags Great Adventure Official park siteAdventure Alley

Intamin456 ft · 128 mph

An Intamin strata coaster with a 456-foot tower launch — tallest coaster in the world at opening. Permanently closed after the 2024 season; demolished in 2025 for future development.

Specifications

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Ride profile

Scaled against Six Flags Great Adventure's operating coasters

LaunchStrataSteel

Park intensity

Height

456 ft

Height456 ft

Speed128 mph

Length3,118 ft

InversionsNone

Ride experience

Launch
Strata
Steel

Specs from sixflags.com

Learn more

All guides

Intamin — launches and record chasing

German builder behind many hydraulic launches, gigas, and intense accelerator layouts.

Launched coasters

Motors or hydraulics replace or supplement the lift hill for rapid acceleration.

Flywheel launches

Store energy in a spinning mass, then dump it into the train in one burst — classic hydraulic acceleration feel.

How launches work

LIM, LSM, hydraulic — different ways to shove a train from rest to serious speed.

History

Sourced timeline and background for Kingda Ka.

Timeline

2005
Kingda Ka opens
Debuted as the tallest and fastest coaster in the world with an Intamin hydraulic launch to 456 feet.
Source
2024
Final day of public operation
Last rides of the 2024 season; the park confirmed permanent closure days later.
Source
2025
Tower implosion
The remaining Kingda Ka tower was brought down in a controlled implosion after track removal began in January 2025.
Source

Background

Kingda Ka opened in 2005 as an Intamin strata coaster — a 456-foot tower launch that reclaimed the height and speed crowns Cedar Point had held with Top Thrill Dragster. The ride shared its steel structure with Zumanjaro, a separate drop tower added in 2014.

Mechanical reliability and maintenance costs grew over the ride's two-decade run, with extended downtime becoming routine. After the 2024 season, Six Flags Great Adventure retired Kingda Ka, Zumanjaro, and Green Lantern to clear the Adventure Alley skyline for a future record-chasing launch coaster announced for the Cedar Fair / Six Flags era.

History primarily sourced from sixflags.com. See also our data policy.