Chupacabra is a steel inverted roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, looming over the park’s entrance and parking lot at 105 feet tall. The ride dangles riders’ feet freely below the track as it races through 2,693 feet of track at speeds up to 50 mph.
Before taking its current name and orange paint scheme in December 2024, the coaster lived several lives: it opened in Japan in 1995 as Gambit, moved to Six Flags New Orleans as Batman: The Ride in 2003, and relocated to Fiesta Texas as Goliath in 2008, where it operated under that name for sixteen years.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio, Texas
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: April 18, 2008 (renamed Chupacabra in December 2024)
- Height: 105 feet
- Top speed: 50 mph
- Length: 2,693 feet
- Inversions: 5
The Ride Experience
As an inverted coaster, Chupacabra seats riders with their legs dangling below the track rather than atop it, intensifying every loop and twist. Over the course of about two minutes, the ride delivers a zero-gravity roll, two vertical loops, and two corkscrews while reaching speeds near 50 mph and forces up to 4 Gs.
Each of the coaster’s two trains carries 28 riders across seven cars, moving around 1,400 guests per hour through the circuit. Designed by engineer Werner Stengel, the layout is a mirror image of Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, reflecting the shared B&M inverted coaster blueprint used across multiple Six Flags parks.
A Coaster With a Well-Traveled Past
Long before it became Chupacabra, this coaster began its life in 1995 as Gambit at Thrill Valley in Japan. It crossed the Pacific to become Batman: The Ride at Six Flags New Orleans in 2003, only to be displaced after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The ride found a new home at Fiesta Texas in 2008 as Goliath.
In December 2024, Six Flags gave the aging Goliath a fresh identity, repainting its once-blue track orange and rebranding it Chupacabra after the folkloric creature native to Texas and Mexican legend, giving longtime fans a new reason to revisit a familiar layout.
Explore more: Explore more thrilling roller coasters.
Rub-on sunscreen that fits in a pocket — reapply in the queue without greasy hands on the lap bar.
Folds into its own pocket. Pop it on when the storm rolls in and the rides reopen to short lines.
Keeps your phone strapped to you, not in a loose-article bin. Zip it before the lift hill and walk straight off the exit ramp.
Chupacabra FAQs
What type of roller coaster is Chupacabra?
Chupacabra is a steel inverted roller coaster, meaning riders sit with their feet dangling below the track. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard.
How fast does Chupacabra go?
Chupacabra reaches a top speed of about 50 mph during its roughly two-minute run through 2,693 feet of track.
Was Chupacabra always called that?
No. The coaster opened at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 2008 as Goliath and was renamed Chupacabra in December 2024. Before that, it operated in Japan as Gambit and in New Orleans as Batman: The Ride.
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Photo: Bob McMillan; edit: Chris Woodrich / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.