I found myself in Dallas for work last month and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Six Flags Over Texas was open on weekends in February. Naturally, I had to take advantage of my Six Flags membership and stop by this new-to-me park — the first-ever Six Flags.
During my two days at Six Flags Over Texas, I rode the majority of the park’s (then) 13 coasters. While it doesn’t have the most impressive coaster lineup in the Six Flags chain (over half of the coasters at the park are clones), there were still a few standouts. The following is my ranking of my favorite five coasters at the park.
Note: Joker, Judge Roy Scream and Runaway Mine Train were not operating during my visit.
5. Mr. Freeze
I grew up on Mr. Freeze at Six Flags St. Louis, so Six Flags Over Texas’ version wasn’t an entirely new experience for me. However, Six Flags St. Louis’ was still operating as “Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast” when I last visited, and the Texas version was just last year switched back to its original forward-facing launch.
I forgot how much I enjoyed seeing the front of the train come so close to the top of the coaster’s 21-story spike.
The coaster is short and sweet. The overbanked turn is forceful as is the top hat.
Mr. Freeze Stats
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides
- Opened: 1998
- Length: 1,300 feet
- Height: 218 feet
- Speed: 70 mph
- Inversions: 2
Even for a seasoned coaster rider like myself, I still find the intense launch and layout to be quite exhilarating. It’s definitely a can’t-miss coaster at Six Flags Over Texas.
4. Shock Wave
Shockwave may have been the surprise hit of the trip. I forget how much I love classic Schwarzkopf looping coasters until I ride a new one (new to me, of course).
The zippy pacing packed a surprising amount of airtime, which was amplified by the lap-bar restraints. The back-to-back vertical loops were another highlight — pure Schwarzkopf bliss.
Shock Wave Stats
- Manufacturer: Schwarzkopf
- Opened: 1978
- Length: 3,600 feet
- Height: 116 feet
- Speed: 60 mph
- Inversions: 2
The park seems to be taking good care of the coaster. I certainly hope that continues as this ride is an absolute gem.
3. Batman: The Ride
I’m an unapologetic Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) fanatic, and I especially like the Batman: The Ride model. I’m partial to the original at my home-away-from-home park, Six Flags Great America — mostly thanks to the nostalgia of it all. But I’ve never been disappointed by any of the Batman clones that I’ve ridden.
There’s nothing unique about Texas’ version — the thematic elements are slightly toned down from the clones that came before it (like St. Louis’ and Over Georgia’s). But the ride itself was just as forceful as the others.
Batman: The Ride Stats
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: 1999
- Length: 2,700 feet
- Height: 105 feet
- Speed: 50 mph
- Inversions: 5
B&M’s Batman coaster is a solid ride and represented a milestone in coaster design. And after all these years, the deceivingly sized coaster still packs a punch.
2. Titan
If you’ve ridden Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Titan will be a familiar experience, but not an identical one. Titan has one bonus element in the form of an upward helix that leads into the coaster’s mid-course brake run.
The views from the top of the coaster’s 245-foot-tall lift hill are impressive — you’re treated to a (somewhat) unobstructed view of the giant AT&T stadium — but the 255-foot plunge into a tunnel is the main attraction, as is the relatively forceful layout that follows.
Titan is no B&M hypercoaster, but it still packs a punch. The extra helix made me gray out ever so slightly, but I didn’t find the coaster to be so intense that it wasn’t re-rideable. The mid-course brake run was a bit of a buzzkill, but I do think it kept the helices from being too much for the average rider.
Titan Stats
- Manufacturer: Giovanola
- Opened: 2001
- Length: 5,312 feet
- Height: 245 feet
- Drop: 255 feet
- Speed: 85 mph
Do I wish this was a B&M hyper instead of a Giovanola? Absolutely. However, Titan is still a solid addition to the park’s lineup and earned its number two spot on my ranking.
1. New Texas Giant
My favorite coaster at the park was New Texas Giant — hands down.
This is where it all began for the now-famous Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) hybrid coaster. In 2009, the aging wooden Texas Giant — manufactured by Dinn Corporation and opened in 1990 — was closed and then transformed into the steel-tracked New Texas Giant that we know today.
It was unlike anything the coaster world had ever seen and from RMC, a virtually unheard-of name in the industry. It was a defining moment in the history of roller coaster design.
Photo by “mulf”/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
I of course never rode the original Texas Giant, but I know RMC’s reimagining of the aging wooden coaster is a vast improvement over the original ride. While it is far from the wildest RMC especially compared to the company’s newer hybrid coasters, it’s still an amazing ride from start to finish — and incredibly smooth.
The pacing is relentless, and the airtime is plentiful. The extended tunnel in the coaster’s last stretch was a surprise hit, and I adored the coaster’s car-themed trains.
It was surreal to finally ride a coaster that I had followed so closely as it was being constructed.
New Texas Giant Stats
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction
- Opened: 2011
- Length: 4,200 feet
- Height: 153 feet
- Drop: 147 feet
- Speed: 65 mph
By no means is New Texas Giant the best RMC. In fact, the coaster is somewhat “tame” compared to newer RMC hybrid coasters. However, a “tame” RMC is still a wild ride. And it earns extra points in my book for being the first and for breathing life into “forgotten about” wooden coasters across the globe.
Sadly, I visited the park just a few weeks before Aquaman: Power Wave opened to the public — although I was able to see the coaster testing throughout the weekend. The Mack launched PowerSplash shuttle coaster features forward and backward launches and a splashdown finale, which will surely be a hit during the hot summer months.
Where will Aquaman: Power Wave rank?
Reception to Six Flags Over Texas’ newest coaster has been positive.
As an onlooker, I’m not sure it would beat out any of the Six Flags Over Texas coasters in my current top five. However, I could see it being another surprise hit.
Aquaman: Power Wave Stats
- Manufacturer: Mack Rides
- Opened: 2023
- Length: 708 feet
- Height: 146 feet
- Speed: 62 mph
It’s definitely one of the most unique coasters at the park.
And that’s my ranking of what I believe are the five best coasters at Six Flags Over Texas.
Overall, I enjoyed Six Flags Over Texas but I do think the park is missing another large, custom coaster. For being the first and one of the largest Six Flags parks, I do feel as though it’s been neglected in the last 20 years, with New Texas Giant being the most noteworthy addition to the park until Aquaman (that’s a 12-year gap). But Aquaman is certainly a step in the right direction — I hope it’s a sign of more unique attractions to come.
Many thanks to Coaster101 writer Rachel Hawkins who was my tour guide during my visit. Six Flags Over Texas’ layout is not the most intuitive, so I was very grateful for her showing me the way and sharing so many fun facts about the park.
How would you rank Six Flags Over Texas’ coasters? Let us know in the comments section below.
Appreciate this review of my home park and you were spot on with your assessment since it’s how I feel too. By every measure I can find through research it’s the 4th busiest park in the chain by a solid distance, behind only the “big 3”, AND it’s in the 4th largest and one of the fastest growing Metro areas in the country in Dallas/Fort Worth. And yet it’s absolutely been neglected compared to the “big 3”, Fiesta Texas, Over Georgia, and coming up it seems even New England. It’s really disappointing and I don’t know why they treat it like a lower tier park when the gate, revenue, and population warrant top tier treatment. Genuinely baffling to me. Anyway, great list and thanks for posting!