Six Flags Magic Mountain has announced plans to bolster its collection of 20 roller coasters in 2026 with a new, first-of-its-kind thrill ride in North America without revealing any other details — tempting coaster enthusiasts to solve the mystery with just a few clues.
The new Magic Mountain coaster is part of Six Flags’ plan to spend $1 billion on new rides, themed areas, special events and other amenities at its 42 amusement parks and water parks over the next two years.
One thing we know for sure is Magic Mountain won’t repeat any of the coaster styles already found in the Valencia amusement park.
That means no wing (X2), flying (Tatsu), inverted (Batman), suspended (Ninja), stand up (Riddler’s Revenge), floorless (Scream), mega (Goliath) or single rail (Wonder Woman Flight of Courage) coasters.
Of course, a launched version of any of those coaster styles would likely count as a first-of-its-kind innovation as would any new record for speed, height, length, drop or inversions.The available coaster clues remain fairly scant but incredibly helpful. The new ride will be a first of its kind in North America.
That narrows things down to an existing coaster in an international park or one coming in 2025.
What coaster will Magic Mountain add to its collection? What firsts will the thrill ride bring to the park? Will the new attraction live up to the hype?
“The parks have a tendency to find one superlative stat and make that a ‘most-est’ ride,” CoasterBuzz’s Jeff Putz said via email. “Still, the marketing benefit of a superlative ride is solid no matter what.”
Magic Mountain will release additional details on the new coaster in summer 2025. But who can wait until then?
We spoke to roller coaster experts and combed through ride enthusiast forums to compile a line up of possible suspects.
Here are 13 potential coasters that could be the first-of-its-kind ride coming to Magic Mountain in 2026.
1. Mack Rides Stryker
Voltron at Germany’s Europa Park — which debuted in April — is the only currently operating Mack Stryker coaster in the world.
“Voltron features four launches, one of which is the world’s steepest at 105 degrees,” Coaster 101’s John Stevenson said via email. “That would be a very marketable ‘first’ for North America.”
Another Mack Stryker under construction at Austria’s Fantasiana is set to open in 2025.
“I am dreaming of a Mack Stryker coaster,” Theme Park Insider’s Robert Niles said via email.
2. S&S Worldwide Axis
Riders on an S&S Axis coaster sit on a swiveling seat that swings when the ride vehicle banks or passes through inversions.
The world’s first S&S Axis coaster under construction at a Saudi Arabia indoor family entertainment center is set to open in 2025.
“There’s a lot of fans hoping for an S&S Axis coaster,” Theme Park Insider’s Niles said.
“Six Flags has previously shown interest in the S&S Axis coaster,” Roller Coaster Database’s Duane Marden said via email.
“Being the first in North America to open an S&S Axis would sort of help them stand out,” Screamscape’s Lance Hart said.
3. Vekoma Motorbike
Since 2004, Vekoma has built Motorbike straddle-style coasters in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and China — but never North America.
“If Six Flags Magic Mountain were to do a motorbike themed coaster, it would have to be something unique,” Screamscape’s Hart said. “Maybe something tall and intimidating while riding in that crazy posture so you feel open and exposed.”
“Maybe a suspended motorbike coaster from Vekoma?” wrote a CoasterForce poster. “Heard they were trying to build one of these.”
Vekoma makes several suspended coaster models, but not a motorbike version. Magic Mountain has the 1988 Ninja suspended coaster, but an off-road motocoaster traveling over hillside terrain would certainly add a modern twist to the ride concept.
Other ride makers have straddle-style coaster models that have popped up at parks in the United States — including Pony Express at Knott’s Berry Farm.
4. Maurer Spike
Maurer Spike powered motorbike coasters have opened in Italy and Germany since 2017 with another under construction at the new Six Flags park in Saudi Arabia debuting in 2025.
“They are on Six Flags’ radar,” RCDB’s Marden said.
One possible snag: “They are on cruise ships that ply North America,” About Theme Parks’ Arthur Levine said via email.
A Maurer Spike debuted on the Carnival Mardi Gras in 2021 as the world’s first roller coaster on a cruise ship.
“They’ve been trying to hype up full-scale coaster designs too with full trains with side-by-side seating that can do weird stuff like recline in mid-ride,” Screamscape’s Hart said.
5. Intamin Exa
A Six Flags park will soon be home to the first and only Intamin Exa coaster when Falcon’s Flight debuts in 2025 in Saudi Arabia.
Falcon’s Flight will become the world’s fastest coaster at a blistering 155 mph — topping the 149 mph Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in the United Arab Emirates.
The 13,900-foot-long Falcon’s Flight will be more than 5,800 feet longer than its next closest competitor — Steel Dragon 2000 at Japan’s Nagashima Spa Land.
6. Intamin Hot Racer
Since 2021, Intamim has built Hot Racer single-rail launched coasters at Australia’s Luna Park and France’s Walibi park with another opening at Russia’s Dream Island in 2025.
“The main reason I think we haven’t seen these in the U.S. is because RMC makes the Raptor single rail coasters,” Screamscape’s Hart said. “Being made in the U.S. would make them cheaper to buy from RMC in Idaho than to have Intamin make one and ship it internationally.”
7. Vekoma Launched Flying
Vekoma’s first and only launched flying coaster debuted in 2020 at Germany’s Phantasialand.
“Six Flags Magic Mountain already has Tatsu, so I highly doubt they would add another flyer,” Screamscape’s Hart said. “Even if the launched design would set it apart.”
8. Dynamic Attractions SFX
Dynamic SFX coasters opened at Malaysia’s Genting SkyWorlds in 2024 and Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World in 2023.
The SFX coaster combines coaster thrills with dark ride-style storytelling visual and audio effects.
“It doesn’t really fit the Six Flags mold,” About Theme Parks’ Levine said.
9. Intamin Water coaster
Since 2012, Intamin has built water coasters in Italy, China, Turkey and Poland — but never in North America.
“If you go old school, there is always Intamin’s legendary AquaTrax concept that I don’t think they even try to sell anymore,” Screamscape’s Hart said.
The only Intamin AquaTrax opened in 2003 at South Korea’s Lotte World.
“For years, coaster enthusiasts would pipe up on the various message boards saying they want an AquaTrax in the U.S. whenever a park was ready to announce a mystery project,” Hart said. “I highly doubt they’ll ever build another one, but when your park has 20 and soon to be 21 roller coasters, this definitely fits the bill for adding something new and unique.”
10. Vekoma Wildcat
Contributors in the Park Fan forum said they would be “ecstatic” about a Vekoma Wildcat coaster at Magic Mountain.
The 2022 Fonix coaster — Danish for Phoenix — at Denmark’s Farup Sommerland was the first and only Vekoma Wildcat ever built.
The Vekoma Wildcat boasts the world’s first stall loop combining the classic loop with an inversed camelback.
11. RMC Wild Moose
The Wild Moose family coaster concept from Rocky Mountain Construction offers a twist on the familiar Wild Mouse coaster.
“It’s able to do crazy stuff like Twisted Colossus,” Screamscape’s Hart said.
RMC handled the Twisted Colossus makeover at Magic Mountain and the Wild Mouse takes those topsy-turvy track innovations and applies them to a compact coaster design.
So far, the Wild Moose coaster concept doesn’t exist at any park in the world.
12. S&S Worldwide Free Fly
Not every Magic Mountain coaster possibility was met with praise in the CoasterForce forum — even if the ride fit the first-of-its-kind in North America criteria.
“It better not be something stupid like an S&S Free Fly,” wrote a CoasterForce poster.
The one and only S&S Free Fly coaster opened at a Sweden amusement park in 2009.
“It’s already 15 years old,” another CoasterForce poster wrote on the forum. “So I don’t think there will ever be a new one from that model.”
13. Superman: Escape from Krypton
A 2018 Six Flags survey asked Magic Mountain fans for their feedback on a “crazy” proposal to transform the 415-foot-tall dual racing shuttle coaster into a full circuit track with a top hat element, according to the In The Loop vlog.
“It very much is a different Superman than the one we’ve grown to love and know at Six Flags Magic Mountain,” according to In The Loop.