All 11 Epic Universe rides, ranked
All 11 rides at the new Universal Epic Universe theme park ranked worst to best, including Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.
Image courtesy of Universal
Can you rank the perfection of Epic Universe? No, but I can sure try!
Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort’s brand new theme park, opens on May 22, 2025. I have been fortunate enough to attend a few previews of the park and I believe I have my definitive ranking of Epic Universe rides … sort of. I’ve changed my mind tons of times just writing this article. While the park is in technical rehearsal, some of the rides aren’t operating at 100%, and understandably so. This list is based on my personal opinions while also trying to find some objective middle ground to reflect the opinions of those I’ve discussed the park with.
#11. Fyre Drill
Boat battle ride, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Don’t get me wrong; I love getting soaked and ruining my shoes as much as the next guy! In a park with such a strong lineup, the near-clone of a ride that exists inside of Legoland Florida is unfortunately going to find itself at the bottom.
Photo By Seth Kubersky
I sincerely believe every ride at Epic Universe is spectacular in its own way. Fyre Drill is way more fun than many visitors give it credit for. It’s a great way to cool off and take some aggression out on unsuspecting strangers by blasting them with water from your boat. Additionally, the aforementioned ride at Legoland Florida (Battle of Bricksburg, based on The Lego Movie franchise) does not feature nearly as many interactive elements and kinetic elements as Fyre Drill does. Fyre Drill is a lot of fun, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to the other rides in my Epic Universe ranking.
#10. Yoshi’s Adventure
Super Nintendo World
As a lifelong Nintendo fan, my first ride on Yoshi’s Adventure was a nostalgia trip through Mushroom Kingdom. The attraction is a very cute (and VERY slow) ride, and that’s about all there is to say about it. The Florida sun has not been kind to certain physical elements on Yoshi’s Adventure, especially the Captain Toad animatronic, who was already sun-bleached months before Epic Universe’s grand opening. This ride cute to waste some time or just sit for a few minutes in the middle of your Epic Universe day, but that’s really all there is to say about it in ranking the park’s rides.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
#9. Curse of the Werewolf
Dark Universe
When Universal announced Curse of the Werewolf, I had zero interest in a spinning coaster being inside of Dark Universe. Then construction updates showed this ride being almost fully encased in safety nets. However, my low expectations were quickly exceeded once I was onboard the ride and hit the first launch. Uncontrollable laughter ensued as we spun noticeably faster than the other carts on the train.
Curse of the Werewolf’s downfalls include a short ride length and not being able to see anything in the ride’s shed while zooming past. Your eyes can’t adjust fast enough to make out the full werewolf figures in the ride’s “show scene.” On the length: since the ride can only operate one train at a time, the coaster can only be so long to keep up with capacity demands.
Curse of the Werewolf is a blast; it just has a lot of factors working against it. I will say the netting is its biggest downfall and I’ll die on that hill.
#8. Dragon Racer’s Rally
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
This is the scariest ride I have ever been on! Sitting in the front row as you dive toward the ground with nothing but an over-the-shoulder restraint holding you in is a sensation difficult fully describe unless you experience it for yourself!
Photo by @bioreconstruct
I absolutely adore Dragon Racer’s Rally, but the shortcomings of this Epic Universe ride are hard to overlook as I rank the park’s attractions. Riders maybe take five spins before the attraction is over. For a ride that can easily see a wait over 50+ minutes (and which doesn’t offer Universal Express), that wait time is nowhere near worth it.
The biggest frustration I’ve heard from everyone who’s ridden Dragon Racer’s Rally? It is so hard to do a flip. Only one of my friends has been able to do a full barrel roll while riding Dragon Racer’s Rally. This wouldn’t be that big of an issue if it wasn’t the primary objective of everybody riding it. Doing a flip looks a lot easier than it actually is. If you aren’t able to flip while training to race a dragon, the ride is still a lot fun regardless!
#7. Constellation Carousel
Celestial Park
Constellation Carousel is another “cute” Epic Universe ride that has more going for it than meets the eye! You might write this off at first glance, which I understand. There’s a lot more to do at Epic Universe that should take a higher priority. If you have the time, though, you should really check out Constellation Carousel.
Photo by @bioreconstruct
Unlike a normal merry-go-round, this family attraction can go forward AND backward, up and down, while also rotating in circles. The ride syncs to the soundtrack, which changes each ride to keep things interesting and fresh. While it’s not worth a wait above 25 minutes, I do think Constellation Carousel will be a sleeper hit and will build a cult like following among Epic Universe rides (the same way The Happy Ride with Baymax has at Tokyo Disneyland).
#6. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders
How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is like if Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Slinky Dog Dash had a baby. It’s a thrilling story coaster the entire family can enjoy! A ride like Hiccup’s is the perfect attraction for all guests.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
As you soar through How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, gliding over the water and past the queue for Dragon Racer’s Rally, it doesn’t just feel like a ride themed to the movies. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is the only ride in the land that feels like you’re part of something that would actually happen with these characters. Fyre Drill and Dragon Racer’s Rally feel like off-the-shelf flat rides loosely themed to the “How to Train Your Dragon franchise” to add capacity to this area of Epic Universe. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, however, feels like a situation you’d find yourself in if you were truly visiting the Isle of Berk and encountered the young inventor and his Night Fury.
As the roller coaster ends with the iconic “Test Drive” music from the first movie (and everybody’s Instagram Stories when they go to Epic Universe), you can’t help but smile!
#5. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
Super Nintendo World
If this was a fully biased list, this ride would be higher. Am I blinded by nostalgia? Yes. Do I still think Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge is not only one of the best Epic Universe rides, but one of the best dark rides in any park of the past decade? Absolutely. For the criteria of this particular rankings, though, I’m placing it at #5 among Epic Universe rides.
Photo courtesy of Universal
In Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Universal Creative blends augmented reality with gorgeous physical sets pulled straight from one of the most beloved games of all time. I adore this ride in Universal Studios Hollywood, and I adore it even more in Epic Universe thanks to the massive improvement in its queue.
A common complaint about the Mario Kart ride: it’s not a high-speed racer attraction (a la Test Track at Epcot). That concern is completely valid, but having a ride the entire family can enjoy based on a game they probably enjoy together at home is much more important.
#4. Stardust Racers
Celestial Park
Stardust Racers makes Jurassic VelociCoaster look like The Barnstormer. (Put your pitchforks down, I’m right!)
Not only is Stardust Racers the best roller coaster at Universal Orlando, it’s the best coaster in Florida, period. Racing against another train is a thrill I never experienced, as Dueling Dragons (a defunct coaster formerly at Islands of Adventure) was before my time. Each time I’ve experienced Stardust Racers, the “Celestial Spin” maneuver has blown my mind without fail. Such a simple inversion feels more like dancing with a partner than it does racing for the finish line.
Photo by Seth Kubersky
Maybe I’m romanticizing it in a way that was not intended by Universal Creative, but with the added lore of Stardust Racers being transportation for the residents of Celestial Park, it feels so much more than just a roller coaster. While VelociCoaster is an indisputable beast, Stardust Racers invokes emotions you don’t get out of VelociCoaster (unless you have a strong passion for the “Jurassic” franchise).
Additionally, onboard audio changes everything for me, and Stardust Racers not only has that, but its audio changes depending on time of day.
#3. Mine-Cart Madness
Super Nintendo World
When Mine-Cart Madness, the Donkey Kong coaster, is actually working, it is my FAVORITE ride at Epic Universe. However, I placed this ride as #3 to be fair, as the next two are industry-defining attractions and this is a kids’ coaster I am very much partial toward.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
Don’t get me wrong; Mine-Cart Madness is an intense and rough ride. It might look innocent enough from the outside, but this thing will throw you around! Additionally, I have to dock a few points for the lack of theming in its show scenes and queue. A huge bummer was riding this for the first time and loving it, but wanting so much more for the finished product. An indoor scene you go through is filled with black walls instead of any theming. From a video game series that has plenty of mine-cart levels to choose from, you chose black wall?
A small disappointment doesn’t supersede my enjoyment for the ride, as I still think it’s a barrel blast and a half!
#2. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
I could go on for hours about my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry: how my jaw was on the floor throughout the entire duration and how mad I was that I loved something “Harry Potter.”
I have never been a fan of “Harry Potter” other than loving a few rides at Universal. My disdain for J.K. Rowling in recent years hasn’t helped this either. I’m here to say Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is not only one of the best Universal rides, but one of the best rides I’ve been on in my life.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
Some complaints I’ve read about the attraction’s over-reliance on screens are extremely valid. I am a screen hater first and foremost! That being said, Battle at the Ministry blew me away.
The sheer scale of this attraction is something I can’t comprehend weeks after my first ride. I’ll be as vague as I can in the interest of staying spoiler-free, because this ride NEEDS to be ridden going in blind.
For weeks, I’ve been questioning and debating myself on if Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry is better than my #1 spot for best Epic Universe ride. I’ve gone back and forth a lot, as I have a lot of opinions of the pros and cons of both. I think the best ride at Epic Universe is a complete experience that will be talked about for decades to come. And that ride is …
#1. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment
Dark Universe
Here it is, folks: a legacy-defining attraction for Universal as a whole. The company that gave us the monsters we know and love has now crafted one of the best dark rides every built.
From the moment you encounter Frankenstein Manor, you are part of a story being told throughout the queue, pre-show, and attraction experience of Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. This ride takes everything that worked about Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and retools what didn’t.
Epic Universe is not even officially open yet and the word of mouth surrounding this ride is unbelievable. I knew Monsters Unchained would be something special, but what lies in the catacombs where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein performs her experiments is mind-blowing. The first time I walked through the queue and on to the ride, I was truly horrified for what was to come. An eerie feeling sits with you when you walk in, continuing all the way until you unload from the ride vehicle at the end.
Photo by Samantha Davis-Friedman
I’ll stay as spoiler-free as I can, so I won’t touch on some of the ride’s massive downsides that take me out of the experience every time, but those nitpicks can wait for another day. Believe the hype: Monsters Unchained is that and so much more.
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