Orion is Kings Island’s giga coaster — and one of only seven in the world. It stands 287 feet tall, drops 300 feet at a near-vertical 85-degree angle, and hits 91 mph before tearing through seven more hills of sustained airtime. Since opening on July 2, 2020, it has cemented Kings Island as one of the premier coaster parks in North America.
Built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and themed around the park’s Area 72 sci-fi zone, Orion represented a $31 million investment — the largest single attraction spend in Kings Island’s history at the time. It replaced the flying coaster Firehawk, which closed in 2018 to make room. Whether you’re planning your first ride, picking a seat, timing your visit, or want to know exactly how Orion stacks up against other giga coasters worldwide, this guide covers all of it.
Quick Answer
Orion at Kings Island is a B&M giga coaster: 287 feet tall, 300-foot first drop, 91 mph top speed, 5,321 feet of track, and a 3-minute ride with zero inversions — it does not go upside down. It’s Kings Island’s tallest, fastest, and longest steel roller coaster, and one of only seven giga coasters on Earth.
Orion Stats at a Glance
Park: Kings Island, Mason, Ohio. Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard (Switzerland). Type: Giga coaster (seventh in the world). Opened: July 2, 2020 (delayed from an original April 11, 2020 date due to COVID-19). Construction cost: $31 million.
Height: 287 feet. First drop: 300 feet at 85 degrees. Top speed: 91 mph. Track length: 5,321 feet. Ride duration: approximately 3 minutes. Total hills after the drop: 7. Inversions: 0. Minimum height requirement: 54 inches. Train configuration: 3 trains, 8 rows each, 4 riders across per row, 32 riders per train, all seated in a single unstaggered row rather than B&M’s older staggered layout. Estimated capacity: approximately 1,650 riders per hour.
Does Orion Go Upside Down?
No. Orion has zero inversions and does not go upside down at any point. It’s an airtime machine, not an inversion coaster — every element in its layout is engineered to generate negative G-forces, the weightless floating sensation, rather than to rotate riders through loops or rolls. This is intentional and characteristic of B&M giga coasters as a design category.
The 85-degree first drop, the wave turn, and the sequence of airtime hills all deliver that gut-lifting, out-of-seat feeling without ever flipping the train. If you want inversions at Kings Island, Banshee and Flight of Fear are strong options nearby. But Orion’s inversion-free layout is the point — it’s pure speed and airtime at giga scale.
The Full Ride Layout: Every Element on Orion
The ride begins on a 287-foot chain lift hill. At the crest, the track angles to 85 degrees and the train falls 300 feet — steep enough to feel nearly vertical from any seat. The train hits 91 mph at the base of the drop, the fastest moment of the ride, before launching into the layout’s first major element.
Element one is a 174-foot banked airtime hill, commonly called the wave turn, which delivers strong floater airtime as the train banks through the curve. Element two is a 202-foot horseshoe turn — a sweeping, high-speed arc that transitions riders through direction changes while maintaining momentum. After the horseshoe comes a 56-foot airtime hill, then a 147-foot airtime hill where a trim brake clips the speed slightly before a left-hand sweeping turn. The layout then hits two final airtime hills at 90 feet and 83 feet respectively. A 125-foot spiral leads into the brake run and station return.
The 5,321-foot track is shorter than some competing giga coasters, and this has been a point of debate among enthusiasts since opening day. What Orion lacks in raw length it makes up for in pacing: there are no dead moments, no slow mid-ride recoveries, and no filler elements. Every second of track is doing useful work.
Best Seat on Orion: Front Row vs. Back Row
Front row gives you the visual experience: nothing between you and the track but air, so you see the 300-foot drop, the horseshoe, and every hillcrest coming before you hit it. It’s the seat most first-time riders should pick because it makes the giant scale of the ride obvious.
Back row gives you the physical experience: airtime hills hit harder and more suddenly in the last few rows, since the rear of the train whips over each crest after the front has already started down the far side. If ejector airtime is what you’re chasing, sit in the last row or two. Middle rows split the difference — a smoother, more balanced ride without the extremes of either end.
Best Time to Ride Orion (and How to Skip the Line)
Orion is consistently one of the most popular rides at Kings Island, so lines build fast once the park opens. The most reliable strategy is riding at rope drop — being at the entrance when gates open and heading straight to Orion before the first wave of guests arrives. Lines also tend to be noticeably shorter on weekdays, especially Tuesday through Thursday, compared to weekends.
Kings Island offers Fast Lane, a paid line-skipping pass that covers most major coasters including Orion, as its main tool for reducing wait times; pricing and availability change by season, so check the official site or app on the day you visit. Kings Island doesn’t publicly advertise a dedicated single-rider line for Orion, so don’t count on one — check the Kings Island app or ask a team member at the entrance, since single-rider access can be added or removed without much notice.
Orion Among the World’s Giga Coasters
Giga coasters are defined by a height or drop of 300 to 399 feet — a narrow band that puts them above hyper coasters (200–299 feet) but below the one-of-a-kind strata-coasters above 400 feet. Only seven giga coasters exist worldwide, making Orion’s membership in this club genuinely rare. Notable peers include Millennium Force at Cedar Point (the first giga coaster ever built, opened 2000, 93 mph), Fury 325 at Carowinds (325 feet, 95 mph, 6,602 feet of track), Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland (306 feet, 92 mph), and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion (305 feet, 90 mph).
In Amusement Today’s annual Golden Ticket Awards, Fury 325 has repeatedly topped or near-topped the steel coaster poll and won Best New Ride in 2015. Orion has held a steady mid-pack spot among the world’s best steel coasters since debuting: 31st in 2021, 20th in 2022, 27th in 2023, 43rd in 2024, and 45th in 2025. It also won the USA TODAY 10Best award for Best New Amusement Park Attraction in 2020. That’s a strong showing for a coaster competing against a full century of steel coaster history, and it keeps Orion firmly among the best rides in the Midwest.
The most common enthusiast comparison is Orion versus Fury 325 — both B&M gigas. Fury 325 has the height, speed, and length advantage. Orion’s defenders argue that the layout is tighter and more purposeful, with no wasted real estate. Both are worth the trip to their respective parks.
Theming: Area 72 and the Fort Mason Research Compound
Orion sits in Kings Island’s Area 72, a dedicated sci-fi themed zone built around the concept of a classified 1970s-era aerospace and extraterrestrial research facility. The queue area is themed as the Fort Mason Research Compound, with mission briefing displays, classified document aesthetics, and easter eggs referencing other Six Flags Entertainment parks (formerly Cedar Fair) hidden throughout.
The name Orion connects directly to the constellation and the space-exploration narrative. The ride’s original score was composed by IMAscore, the same studio behind music at several major theme park attractions in Europe and North America. For guests who notice park theming, Area 72 is one of Kings Island’s most fully realized themed environments outside of the main Coney Mall district.
Planning Your Visit
Kings Island runs on a seasonal operating calendar — generally weekends in early spring and fall, with daily operation through the peak summer months — and ticket pricing follows a tiered structure of single-day tickets, multi-visit and season passes, and add-ons like Fast Lane for shorter waits. Because both hours and prices shift by date and season, check them directly before you go rather than relying on any fixed number here.
For current hours, ticket prices, parking rates, and Fast Lane availability, use the official Kings Island site as your source of truth on the day you’re planning to visit.
Orion Kings Island giga coaster guide FAQs
Does Orion go upside down?
No. Orion has zero inversions. It’s built entirely around airtime and speed rather than loops or rolls.
How tall is Orion at Kings Island?
Orion stands 287 feet tall and drops 300 feet at an 85-degree angle, making it a certified giga coaster.
How fast does Orion go?
Orion reaches a top speed of 91 mph at the bottom of its first drop, the fastest point of the ride.
What is the height requirement for Orion?
Riders must be at least 54 inches tall to ride Orion.
Is Orion the fastest and tallest coaster at Kings Island?
Yes. Orion is Kings Island’s tallest, fastest, and longest steel roller coaster.
What did Orion replace at Kings Island?
Orion was built on the site of Firehawk, a flying roller coaster that closed in 2018 to make way for the new giga coaster.
Which seat has the best airtime on Orion, front or back?
Back row delivers the strongest, most sudden airtime. Front row gives the best unobstructed view of the drop and layout. Middle rows offer a smoother, more balanced ride.
How does Orion compare to Fury 325?
Fury 325 at Carowinds is taller, faster, and longer than Orion, and has ranked higher in enthusiast polls. Orion’s layout is often praised as tighter and more efficient, with less filler track.
Is there a single rider line for Orion?
Kings Island doesn’t publicly guarantee a dedicated single-rider line for Orion. Check the Kings Island app or ask staff at the entrance on the day of your visit, since this can change.
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