Kingda Ka was a 456-foot hydraulic-launch steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey — the tallest roller coaster ever built, a title it held from its opening on May 21, 2005 until its permanent closure in November 2024 and demolition on February 28, 2025.
This page pulls together every verified Kingda Ka stat — the numbers listed on RCDB (listing #2832), Wikipedia, and Six Flags’ own records — into one complete reference. Whether you’re searching for Kingda Ka’s exact height, top speed, RCDB entry, or full stats sheet, everything below is sourced and up to date.
Quick Answer
Kingda Ka stood 456 feet (139 m) tall and reached a top speed of 128 mph (206 km/h), launching from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds via a hydraulic launch system. It was the world’s tallest roller coaster from 2005 until its 2024 closure and February 2025 demolition. Its height record has since been surpassed — Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia now holds the title, with an elevation change of roughly 640 feet (195 m).
Kingda Ka Stats at a Glance (RCDB Data)
These specifications match the entry for Kingda Ka on the Roller Coaster Database (RCDB #2832) and Wikipedia’s infobox, the two most-cited sources for the ride’s official numbers:
Height: 456 ft (139 m) · Drop: 418 ft (127 m) · Top Speed: 128 mph (206 km/h) · Launch: 0–128 mph in 3.5 seconds · Length: 3,118 ft (950 m) · Duration: about 28 seconds · Max Angle: 90° · Inversions: 0 · Capacity: 1,400 riders/hour · Height Requirement: 54–77 inches (137–196 cm) · Cost: approximately $25 million · Manufacturer: Intamin Amusement Rides · Designer: Werner Stengel · Model: Accelerator Coaster · Trains: 4 (5 cars each, 18 riders per train) · Opened: May 21, 2005 · Permanently Closed: November 10, 2024 · Demolished: February 28, 2025.
How Tall Is Kingda Ka? Height Explained
Kingda Ka’s height was 456 feet (139 meters), measured to the peak of its distinctive ‘top hat’ tower — the highest point trains reached before the drop. That made it a strata coaster, the enthusiast term for any coaster exceeding 400 feet, a category only one other ride (Top Thrill Dragster) had reached before it.
The tower’s 90-degree drop plunged 418 feet, followed by a 270-degree spiral that disoriented riders before a 129-foot camelback hill sent the train briefly airborne on the return leg. On clear days, riders near the top reportedly could see both the New York City and Philadelphia skylines.
How Fast Is Kingda Ka? Speed Breakdown
Kingda Ka’s top speed was 128 mph (206 km/h), reached from a complete standstill in just 3.5 seconds. That acceleration came from a hydraulic launch system rather than a chain lift, which is why the ride felt more like being catapulted than climbed.
At its 2005 debut, Kingda Ka was also the world’s fastest roller coaster, briefly surpassing Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster. It held that speed record for about five years until Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi opened in November 2010 and reached 149 mph. Kingda Ka’s height record outlasted its speed record by well over a decade.
The Hydraulic Launch System Explained
Instead of a traditional chain lift, Kingda Ka used a hydraulic launch: a catch car attached beneath the train and was fired down a straight launch track by hydraulic fluid under extreme pressure, releasing the train at roughly 128 mph at the base of the tower. Intamin used near-identical technology on Top Thrill Dragster, the coaster Kingda Ka was built to directly outdo.
The system was spectacular but maintenance-heavy. Over nearly 20 years it required frequent servicing and was involved in multiple documented incidents, including a 2008 launch-cable failure that shot metal debris into the trough and closed the ride for roughly two months, and lightning-strike damage in 2009 that kept it closed for about three months. That maintenance burden is widely cited as a factor in the park’s eventual decision to retire rather than refurbish it.
Kingda Ka’s World Records — And Who Holds Them Now
On opening day in 2005, Kingda Ka simultaneously claimed two world records: tallest roller coaster (456 ft) and fastest roller coaster (128 mph). The speed record fell to Formula Rossa in 2010, but the height record stood for nearly two decades — Kingda Ka remained the tallest roller coaster on Earth for the entirety of its operational life, right up to its November 2024 closure.
That height record has since changed hands. Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia opened at the end of 2025 as the new tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the world, built atop a natural hill for an elevation change of roughly 640 feet (195 m) — surpassing Kingda Ka’s mark by nearly 200 feet. Kingda Ka’s 456-foot record now ranks among the longest-held height records in roller coaster history.
Trains, Restraints & the Ride Experience
Kingda Ka ran four color-coded trains, each with five cars seating two riders across, for a total of 18 riders per train. Riders were secured with an over-the-shoulder restraint paired with a rigid lap bar, standard for high-speed launch coasters of its era. The full experience — launch, 90-degree ascent, spiral drop, camelback airtime hill, and return to the station — lasted about 28 seconds of continuous motion, not counting the ride’s brief pre-launch hold that built anticipation before the catapult start.
The ride operated with a dual-loading station to keep throughput close to its rated 1,400 riders per hour, though frequent mechanical downtime over the years often meant real-world waits and closures exceeded that theoretical capacity.
Why Did Kingda Ka Close?
Six Flags Great Adventure confirmed Kingda Ka’s permanent closure on November 10, 2024, announcing plans for a ‘multi-world-record-breaking’ launch coaster on the same footprint. Green Lantern, Twister, and the Parachutes tower were also removed to expand the construction site.
Demolition began January 20, 2025 with track removal, and the 456-foot top-hat tower came down in a controlled implosion on February 28, 2025, carried out by Controlled Demolition, Inc. and livestreamed to thousands of fans.
What’s Replacing Kingda Ka in 2027?
As of mid-2026, Six Flags Great Adventure’s new coaster — still officially unnamed, though fans have nicknamed it ‘Project Purple’ after purple-painted track segments spotted arriving on-site — is under active construction on Kingda Ka’s former footprint alongside the removed Green Lantern and Zumanjaro sites. The park has said it will rank among the five tallest roller coasters in the world and set multiple records, though its exact height and speed have not been officially released.
The project was originally targeted for a 2026 debut but has been pushed to 2027. Six Flags Great Adventure itself remains open and operating in Jackson, New Jersey, throughout construction.
Kingda Ka roller coaster stats FAQs
How tall is Kingda Ka?
Kingda Ka was 456 feet (139 m) tall, measured to the top of its tower. That made it the tallest roller coaster in the world from 2005 until its 2024 closure.
How fast is Kingda Ka?
Kingda Ka reached a top speed of 128 mph (206 km/h), accelerating from a standstill to that speed in 3.5 seconds via a hydraulic launch system.
What are Kingda Ka’s official RCDB stats?
Per RCDB listing #2832: 456 ft height, 418 ft drop, 128 mph top speed, 3,118 ft track length, 0 inversions, roughly 28-second ride duration, and a 90-degree drop angle. Manufacturer was Intamin Amusement Rides, designed by Werner Stengel.
Is Kingda Ka still the world’s tallest roller coaster?
No. Kingda Ka was demolished in February 2025. The current record holder is Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, which opened in late 2025 with an elevation change of roughly 640 feet (195 m).
Why did Kingda Ka close?
Six Flags Great Adventure closed Kingda Ka permanently in November 2024 to build a new record-breaking launch coaster on the same site. The ride’s aging, maintenance-heavy hydraulic launch system was also a factor in the decision.
When was Kingda Ka demolished?
Track removal began January 20, 2025, and the 456-foot tower was brought down in a controlled implosion on February 28, 2025.
What is replacing Kingda Ka?
A new, still-unnamed launch coaster is under construction on Kingda Ka’s former site, targeted to open in 2027 and expected to rank among the five tallest roller coasters in the world.
Get More from Kingda Ka roller coaster stats
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Kingda Ka roller coaster stats, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.