Six Flags Over Texas kicks off its 65th anniversary season Saturday, welcoming guests back to the Arlington theme park - but the headline attraction that will define this milestone year won't be ready to ride until later in 2026.
The Tormenta Rampaging Run, billed as the tallest, fastest, and longest giga coaster in the world, is still under construction and will open at some point later this season. When it does, it's expected to become an instant landmark for thrill-seekers and a major draw for the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
For those unfamiliar with the term, a giga coaster is a category of large steel roller coaster defined by a height or drop of at least 300 feet, placing it among the most extreme full-course rides in the industry. Only a handful of giga coasters exist worldwide, and the Tormenta Rampaging Run is designed to surpass all of them in every major category.
Six Flags Over Texas, located in Arlington between Dallas and Fort Worth, first opened in 1961 and holds a unique place in American theme park history as the first park in what became the Six Flags chain. The 65th anniversary season marks a significant milestone for a park that has introduced generations of Texas families to roller coasters.
Saturday's opening will give guests access to the park's existing lineup of rides, attractions, and entertainment while construction on the Tormenta Rampaging Run continues. No specific opening date for the new coaster has been publicly confirmed.
The arrival of a world-record giga coaster is expected to generate considerable regional and national attention for the park, potentially drawing visitors from across the country once it opens. Coaster enthusiasts, known in the community as "enthusiasts" or "coasties," frequently travel long distances to ride record-breaking attractions.
Tormenta Rampaging Run is packing serious bragging rights. Along with its 95-degree beyond-vertical drop, the new giga dive coaster claims six world records: it’s the tallest dive coaster at 309 feet, features the highest 95-degree drop at 285 feet, reaches a top speed of 87 miles per hour, includes the highest Immelmann inversion at 218 feet, boasts the tallest vertical loop at 179 feet, and stretches 4,199 feet long, making it the longest dive coaster in the world.
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