8+ Scariest Rides at Walt Disney World: Push Your Limits on These Must-Ride Attractions

If you’re a Walt Disney World fanatic like me, you know that part of the reason you visit the Mouse year after year is for the thrill rides. While most of Disney’s rides are family-friendly and tame, a few rides are scary and provide the ultimate thrill!

Walt Disney World has 4 parks, each with at least 1 intense ride. You’ll surely have the adventure of a lifetime when you ride these attractions! Disney’s parks are well-designed and include rides for all tolerance levels. If you’re looking for scary rides, there are certainly plenty of those for you to experience!

Tron Lightcycle / Run

Tron Lightycle / Run (or Tron for short) is in the Magic Kingdom, in the rear of Tomorrowland. It’s one of Disney’s newest attractions and has been popular among guests.

It’s a relatively short ride, lasting only about 30 seconds. As you enter the attraction, you feel immersed in the “Tron” movie series and are directed to a pair of motorcycle-looking cars. You’re seated just like you’d ride a bike, though you’re angled a bit more forward than this, and a back panel comes into place to prevent you from falling off. Riders are seated 2 by 2, but there is a rear car for customers of size who need to ride a traditional coaster-like car.

While the ride doesn’t have loops or inversions, it still whisks you in and out of the building, finishing off on a giant U-shaped track that passes overhead of those in line. What makes this ride particularly thrilling is that you’re seated leaning forward, almost making you feel like you’re flying as the ride makes several sharp turns; this is one of the few rides at Disney World where you’re not seated normally.

Currently, the ride uses a normal standby queue where you line up and wait your turn to ride like most rides. The ride previously had a virtual queue, but Disney dropped this in favor of the traditional method.

Guests must be 48 inches (122 centimeters) or taller.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

This is by far one of my favorite rides at Disney World, and I think it is one of the most thrilling. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is to the left of Mission: Space, just outside the back of the central gift shop at the park, Creations.

The Guardians of the Galaxy ride follows a pursuit through space, where you’re seated in cars that rotate through an indoor track. The ride is one of the largest indoor roller coasters in the world. As you ride, 1 of 7 themed songs play as you twist and spin in a dark environment (part of the fun is returning to the ride again and getting another song!). While it’s not for the faint of heart, the ride does not invert, so it is perfect for those who enjoy a thrill but don’t want to flip upside down.

Guardians of the Galaxy uses a virtual queue system, so you sign up for a slot at either 7 a.m. or an in-park drop at 1 p.m. You’re assigned a place in line and then are called back when that place comes up. Interestingly, you can return to the attraction anytime after that number has been called, so you don’t need to return immediately.

Guests must be 42 inches (107 centimeters) or taller.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is one of the Magic Kingdom’s original rides, and it’ll give you whiplash if you’re not holding on tight! You’re seated in a “runaway” mine train that rides along a rickety track with several intense drops and turns. This ride is great for beginners who aren’t looking for something too overwhelming but still want something to take their breath away.

Guests must be 40 inches (102 centimeters) or taller.

Space Mountain

Space Mountain is in the Tomorrowland section of Magic Kingdom. The ride takes place entirely in the dark, and you’re seated in a rocket ship, one person behind the other. One note of caution is that this ride is a tight squeeze for bigger riders, so you sort of have to contort yourself to get in and out of the car.

This ride is known for causing you to get a kink in your neck! It makes sudden, fast turns that are hard to anticipate because the ride is all dark. While the drops are certainly manageable, not being able to see where you’re going makes it all that more intense!

Guests must be 44 inches (112 centimeters) or taller.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

If you need a place to stay, I’d avoid the Hollywood Hotel, home to the infamous The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Looming over Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Tower of Terror looks like an old, abandoned hotel. It’s anything but. As you walk inside, you enter “The Twilight Zone” and an elevator car where you’re seated and belted in. As you weave in and out of various parts of the hotel, you suddenly move toward an elevator shaft where you drop faster than the speed of gravity.

Hold onto your hats, as loose items will fly up to the ceiling! One of the cool things about this ride is that the sequence of drops is completely random. The number of times you fall and how far you fall changes between rides, keeping you on your toes.

Guests must be 40 inches (102 centimeters) or taller.

Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain

Want to know what it’s like to climb the world’s tallest mountain? You can do just that in Disney’s Animal Kingdom with Expedition Everest. It’s a traditional coaster train that weaves in and out of a faux Mount Everest but at one point stops and reverses direction, adding a real thrill. The Expedition Everest track layout is unpredictable, so strap in for a wild ride!

This ride is fun and is Animal Kingdom’s most popular (and scariest) attraction. It’s in the Asia area of Animal Kingdom, and you can expect long lines for this ride since it’s one of the few fast rides in Animal Kingdom. You should consider using Disney’s Genie system for a faster queue.

Guests must be 44 inches (112 centimeters) or taller.

Mission: Space

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to launch into outer space, Mission: Space will be right up your alley. It’s in Disney’s Epcot theme park and features 2 riding options: Green Mission (less intense) and Orange Mission (intense). Interestingly, when this ride opened, the astronauts that tested it even thought it was a little too intense, so they had to dial things back a bit! For the more intense version, your space capsule will spin extremely fast, replicating the force you’d likely experience when flying into space.

Guests must be 40 inches (102 centimeters) or taller.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Disney doesn’t have many coasters in its theme parks that go into a loop, but Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is one of them. Just past the Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios, it takes you along with Aerosmith in a stretch limo as you rush to make a concert.

The ride is exhilarating. It starts with a fast launch out of the station, where you almost immediately go into the first of 2 loops. The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster speed is up to 57 miles per hour, so you definitely feel the wind in your hair!

Because of the loops, this ride often has some of the longest lines in all of Hollywood Studios, so be sure to get there early!

Guests must be 48 inches (122 centimeters) or taller.

Honorable Mentions

There are a lot of intense rides, but they didn’t quite make the list for the most intense. They include:

• Test Track at Epcot (closed for refurbishment until 2025)
• Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom
• Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom

Final Thoughts

One of the great things about Disney World is the variety of rides. There are calm rides and thrill rides, and no matter which part you visit, there’s always something to do for everyone. If you’re looking for a scare, there are no better rides than the rides we’ve profiled. Buckle up, though, because each of these rides will take your breath away!