In 2022, a range of coasters will open around the world, including one coaster that will travel across continents by sea onboard a cruise ship. Here, blooloop provides a selection of twenty-two coasters set to entertain a global audience of thrill-seekers.
Last year, some new coasters and upgrades were also introduced, as the industry started to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
Examples from 2021 included Extreme Engineering‘s installation at Qatar’s first indoor theme park, “Fly with Flap” (pictured), and the investment of new trains by Sunkid on Balagos at Dutch park Avonturenpark Hellendoorn.
This year another selection of major investments will be unveiled, catering for all ages and demographics. Leading suppliers Vekoma, Intamin, Maurer Rides, Josef Wiegand, Mack Rides and Zamperla all have exciting new coasters opening in 2022.
TRON Lightcycle / Run – Magic Kingdom (US)
Announced three years ago for the Walt Disney World park, TRON Lightcycle/Run has long been in development for Florida. A work in progress since 2019, the coaster has yet to receive an official launch date. However, it is likely to be one of the new coasters we’ll see in 2022.
When this ride opens, the Tomorrowland installation will become the fastest Vekoma rollercoaster found in the Magic Kingdom. Riders will sit on recreations of the film’s iconic Lightcycle vehicles. The design is similar to the TRON rollercoaster at Shanghai Disneyland.
Walt Disney Imagineering project coordinator Scott Pratt says:
“It finishes a loop of over 3,000 feet of track and over 120 pieces. The guests are going to feel exhilaration and they are going to come off wanting to ride it over and over again.”
Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, Hong Kong Disneyland
There have been a number of expansions at Hong Kong Disneyland expansions since it opened. As a result of this, the park has grown significantly since it opened as Disney’s smallest in 2005. New areas added over the years have enhanced the guest experience. This includes Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Point and Toy Story Land,
The latest addition will be Arendelle: World of Frozen, a brand new themed area inspired by the popular Disney IP.
Described as a one-of-a-kind coaster, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs takes guests into the town of Arendelle. The journey commences with a visit to Oaken’s store from the films. After that, popular characters Olaf and Sven pull riders to the top of a hill. The main experience then begins with a thrilling and action-packed descent.
An attraction based on the Frozen films is already open at EPCOT in the US, Frozen Forever After. A duplicate of this attraction is also planned to open in Hong Kong.
An additional Frozen IP land has been designed for Walt Disney Studios in France. Alongside this, the park will open its own Avengers Campus this summer, based on its counterpart at Disney California Adventure.
Choco Chip Creek Coaster- Energylandia (Poland)
Energylandia is already home to 16 coasters, and this new family-friendly themed area will add two more for 2022.
Headlining the colourful landscape of Sweet Valley is Choco Chip Creek. This Vekoma mine train has top speeds of 55 kilometres per hour and over a kilometre of track. The circuit lasts approximately three and a half minutes and riders will navigate obstacles such as huge chocolate-spouting rocks during the experience.
Choco Chip Creek will also be joined by Honey Harbour, another new coaster for 2022. The 12-metre high Kalypso family coaster will pull up to 2.9Gs in an experience designed for younger riders.
The Polish park added two Vekoma roller coasters last year; Abyssus, a Super Shockwave Double Launch Coaster and Light Explorers, a family boomerang coaster for its new themed land “Aqualantis”.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – EPCOT (US)
Replacing Ellen’s Energy Adventure, an all-new spinning coaster from Vekoma will make its debut at EPCOT this summer.
Found in the newly rebranded World Discovery section of the Florida park, Wonders of Xandar will feature EPCOT’s first roller coaster. In addition, a second show building features the majority of the coaster.
The 2022 installation will be one of the world’s longest indoor coasters, featuring the first-ever reverse-launch on a roller coaster at a Disney park.
Award-winning actress Glenn Close was appointed to reprise her character Nova Prime role for the attraction.
The new ride forms part of EPCOT’s ambitious transformation project, which will see the introduction of the Play! pavilion, Journey of Moana walkthrough and new green spaces.
Fønix – Fårup Sommerland (Denmark)
Denmark’s fastest and tallest rollercoaster will rise 40 metres into the air and has a top speed of 95 kilometres an hour. The Vekoma coaster will open in April.
Fårup Sommerland has stated that the coaster will feature the world’s first stall loop. The feature will force riders into an overhead position by a half loop. The landmark element is followed by an inverted camelback, providing 2.5 seconds of weightlessness. This leads into the second half of the loop, combined with a twist.
With fourteen different elements, including drops, loops and twists, passengers will experience up to 9.2 seconds of weightlessness in total on the ride.
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force- Walt Disney Studios (France)
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Avec Aerosmith, an original park attraction, is being transformed. The coaster will be turned into a Marvel experience with a striking new facade.
As part of Disneyland Paris’ 30th Anniversary celebrations, this Vekoma coaster will feature new Avengers theming elements. For example, the ride’s train aesthetics will be updated alongside a new pre-show to replace the previous studio setting. A replica of the Avengers’ Quinjet vehicle sits proudly opposite the ride’s entrance.
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force is one component of the new Parisian version of Avengers Campus, in addition to an all-new attraction, Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure. The interactive dark ride, with the assistance of 3D glasses and advanced technology, gives guests a sample of life as a superhero.
Big Dipper – Luna Park (Australia)
Opening at the end of 2021, Luna Park’s new coaster has transformed the harbourside park’s skyline in Sydney.
The new coaster is the first of its type by Intamin, the Hot Racer model. The ride combines two launch sections with ten exciting elements including a Stengel-dive and a zig-zag double-down. The main element (pictured right) is the large non-inverting loop, which results in a sidewinder inversion.
A compact addition, the ride is part of a wider $30 million overhaul project with nine new rides and coasters that guests can enjoy in 2022, including six attractions from Zamperla. Other additions include Freaky Frog – a Jump Around model, and Sledgehammer, a DiscoveryRevolution inverting frisbee ride.
Light of Revenge – Happy Valley (China)
Opened officially on 21 December 2021, this Intamin LSM triple launch coaster is based on the distinctive Cheetah Hunt coaster found at Busch Gardens.
The 1.3-km layout packs the most memorable components of its Florida counterpart into the new Chinese installation. In addition to these thrilling moments are near-miss elements and a custom lighting package to provide a unique nighttime experience. An Intamin representative says the company “is thankful and equally proud of having contributed to the continued success of Happy Valley, Nanjing, China” with the 2022 coaster.
All Speeds – Sunac Land Chengdu (China)
This new Intamin installation which opened on New Year’s Eve 2021 is a fast-paced experience with many surprising turns and pops of airtime on an intertwined layout. The 1,320-metre long track reaches a maximum height of 98 feet high, crossing its own path an astonishing 116 times.
The Intamin coaster features no inversions but makes up for this with two powerful launches and a series of airtime hills that float passengers in their ergonomically-designed seats.
Pantheon – Busch Gardens Williamsburg (US)
The latest multi-launch coaster from Intamin features three launches, found in Virginia.
Pantheon is themed on the legendary Roman gods, with each having traits represented at various points of the circuit. The two inversions represent Pluto, and Minerva is conveyed through launches and boosts. Mercury, Neptune and Jupiter are envisioned through speed, height, and drop respectively.
Pantheon has also become the world’s fastest multi-LSM Launch roller coaster since it opened to the public on 25 March 2022.
Jeff Thomas, former interim park president for Busch Gardens said: “Racing through five scenes dedicated to powerful Roman gods at record speeds up to 72.5 mph, this one-of-a-kind coaster is a ride guests will definitely want to come back for again and again.”
Matugani – Lost Island Theme Park (US)
Relocating from Sweden is an Intamin coaster that has received a full renovation for its new home. Matugani will be one of the coasters on offer at Iowa’s latest attraction, Lost Island Theme Park, set to open in 2022.
Riders begin the experience being propelled at 47 mph in the space of 2 seconds, towards a top hat reaching 79ft tall.
After that, riders experience a 66 ft loop and an in-line twist during the short but action-packed circuit.
Formerly Liseberg’s Kanonen, the ride relocated to create space for Valkyria. As a result of the move, Matugani is represented as a spiral within the park’s logo.
The park will also receive a Suspended Looping Coaster that utilises a classic Vekoma SLC design. Formerly known as Cobra, it features a rollover element as well as a sidewinder and double in-line twist.
The ride has recently been relocated from Ratanga Junction, in South Africa, which closed in 2018. The former Cape Town park has plans in place to be replaced by residential and retail developments. Additionally, Lost Island will also feature a new dark ride from Sally Dark Rides, Volkanu, Quest for the Golden Idol.
The Storm Coaster – Dubai Hills Mall (UAE)
One new 2022 coaster builds on the ongoing trend of retailtainment, as it can be found at the Dubai Hills Mall. The Storm Coaster is an enclosed thrill experience replicating the thrills of storm-chasing with an action-packed journey.
Starting with a vertical lift hill, riders experience a fifty meter-tall vertical launch. This shoots riders towards the ceiling of the shopping complex. The coaster wraps around the shell of the building with its 670-meter long track.
Three state-of-the-art trains have been commissioned for the installation, each featuring twelve ergonomic seats. Over-the-shoulder-lap-bars ensure both freedom and comfort as well as safety for passengers.
SC3000 NIL Haiyan Coaster – Sunac Cultural Tourism City (China)
A brand new theme park near Haiyan, Zhejiang, China, will open with a non-inverting Maurer Rides roller coaster anchoring the lineup.
At 519m long, this next instalment of our list of new coasters for 2022 will hit speeds of 70 kph. Maurer is providing six ride vehicles to help deliver an estimated throughput of 630 people per hour.
The coaster features a number of non-inverting loops, Immelmann, twist and helix during its run. The park will also be home to a three-tower space shuttle, and a 128-meter panoramic observation wheel overlooking East China.
Space Cruiser – Dream Cruises
The world’s longest roller coaster at sea, from Maurer Rides, opens onboard the Dream Cruiser when it sets sail this year.
The new Global Class ship is currently under construction in Germany and will debut in 2022.
With a top speed of 60 kph, the 303-metre long Spike Coaster model will speed guests along its single-rail circuit up to 55m directly above sea level.
Maurer Rides will supply three vehicles to achieve a theoretical throughput of 315 PPH.
High Roller – Motiongate Dubai (UAE)
Taking inspiration from the popular Now You See Me films, Motiongate Dubai opened High Roller, on 21 January 2022. The Maurer Rides addition hits a top speed of 70 kph, with free-spinning cars and a non-inverting loop patented by Maurer. The coaster manufacturer worked with design studios FORREC and DEC to recreate the ambience of the film.
The park has given the coaster a fitting storyline to sync it with the Lionsgate franchise:
“Roll to win on this exciting spin coaster as you help the Horsemen on one of their most daring heists. Misdirection is key to revealing some of the biggest secrets around you. Remember, the closer you look, the less you see!”
Canyon Coaster Adventure Park (US)
Williams Arizona will host a new Josef Wiegand alpine coaster with steep descents, dips, twists, hairpin turns and 360-degree helixes.
Riders control their speed down the mile-long track, on the first and only mountain coaster in Arizona, US.
Canyon Coaster will open in early 2022, while a similar collection of alpine coasters has also recently opened at three locations in Asia.
Aquaman: Power Wave – Six Flags Over Texas (US)
The chain park’s fifteenth coaster will be a notable addition as the first water coaster of its type in North America.
The Mack Rides coaster will launch riders forwards and backwards over 700 feet of track. Guests are propelled straight up giant 148 feet twin-track towers, then sent plunging down into a water basin.
After Aquaman: Power Wave reaches a top speed of 63 mph, riders will head towards a massive splash feature.
An additional Mack Super Splash water coaster will also open at Lotte World Adventure Busan, South Korea, in the form of Giant Splash this year.
ENSŌ – Blackpool Pleasure Beach (UK)
Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s latest steel coaster is Icon which opened in 2018. The Mack ride weaves through classic rollercoasters including Steeplechase and the UK’s tallest coaster, The Big One.
Four years after it first opened, ICON will receive new enhancements. Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced that a set of rear seats have been converted by Mack into a spinning row, creating ENSŌ.
This name has Japanese origins according to the park, saying: “ENSŌ is a sacred symbol in Zen Buddhism meaning circle of togetherness”.
Icon/ENSŌ is one of the park’s longest rides at 3,750 ft. This helps the park to retain its title as the UK’s most coaster-intensive amusement park. The ride opened in the same year the park’s classic Wild Mouse wooden coaster closed.
In other news, the park has also announced it will reopen Valhalla, its award-winning water ride, this season. The updated version of the water attraction will feature a new soundtrack and enhanced effects.
T-Rex Coaster – Djurs Sommerland (Denmark)
This year Dinosaurland, home to a plethora of prehistoric creatures, will open at the Danish theme park. Amongst the additions for the year are a 400-metre family slide, “Dino Xpedition” convoy ride and adventure playground.
Completing Dinosaurland, Mack Rides will provide a powered coaster that takes riders past a number of the area’s 25 swooping dinosaurs and giant carnivores.
Steel Taipan – Dreamworld (Australia)
With an opening to the public at the end of 2021, Mack’s Steel Taipan received its first riders prior to the Christmas holidays.
The brightly-coloured coaster features a triple launch, based on the Blue Fire layout found at Europa-Park in Rust, Germany.
The Australian installation at Dreamworld differs slightly by being the company’s first to feature the HybridTrain. This results in the train featuring a special rotating back coach with seats that spin freely, leading to a unique experience for each ride, depending on the weight distribution of the riders.
Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster – Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida (US)
Junior thrill-seekers can now enjoy the new Zamperla coaster which premiered at the recently opened Peppa Pig Theme Park in Florida. Headlining a portfolio of six rides, guests as small as 36 inches tall (91cm) can ride. Zamperla has provided a train modelled on the Daddy Pig’s freshly cleaned red car, from the popular animated children’s series.
At the request of operator Merlin Entertainments, Zamperla provided an extended version of its family coaster model. Thus, this 2022 coaster features a mid-course tire launch which extends the experience. The queue winds through Daddy Pig’s house with AV features, forming an attraction in itself. Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster is an ideal first roller coaster for toddlers and their families to enjoy.
Sidewinder Safari – Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (US)
The final entry in our list of new 2022 coasters is a Zamperla twister model, operated by Six Flags in the US. The compact addition will take guests along 1378 ft of track, with a height of 43 ft and a top speed of 29 mph.
In addition to the main experience, guests will discover live rattlesnakes and other reptile species as they wait. Similarly, the rest of the queue has jungle-inspired theming.
The new spinning coaster will feature a number of 360-degree sideway spins and rapid-strike drops. It also includes the traditional twists and turning hairpin curves found on wild mouse-style coasters.
Discover more 2022 coasters
The coasters above are just some of the new additions that have or will open soon at parks around the world. Blooloop contributor Lance Hart has also recently put together a list of the best extreme 2022 coasters. This includes white knuckle additions such as Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando and Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, as well as wooden/hybrid coasters such as Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Top image: Pantheon. Credit: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
