Universal Studios is almost ready to send guests racing into its next major thrill ride.
For months, visitors have watched a massive roller coaster rise across the park, with track stretching through an area that already has a dramatic landscape. The project has been hard to miss, but one important question remained unanswered: when could regular guests actually ride it?
Universal has now answered that question.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has an official opening date, and the new coaster will soon bring 72-mph speeds, rotating ride vehicles, multiple launches, and a completely new take on the Fast & Furious franchise to Universal Studios Hollywood.
This Isn’t a Typical Theme Park Coaster
Universal isn’t holding much back with Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift.
The outdoor coaster will hit speeds of up to 72 mph, making it the fastest roller coaster in the Universal Destinations & Experiences portfolio when it officially opens.
But speed isn’t the only feature designed to separate Hollywood Drift from other Universal attractions.
The ride vehicles can rotate 360 degrees as they race along approximately 4,100 feet of track. Universal designed that movement to create a drifting sensation inspired by the Fast & Furious franchise.
Riders will experience four launches and forces reaching up to 3.6 Gs. The coaster’s layout also features an inverted dive loop, twisted pretzel loop, inverted stall, and other elements.
Its location makes the experience even more unusual. Sections of track travel over and under portions of the Starway escalators that connect Universal Studios Hollywood’s Upper and Lower Lots.
Universal has even incorporated sound-reduction technology into the track.
After months of anticipation, guests now know exactly when all of that will become available.
The Wait Ends This Month
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift officially opens Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Guests will find the coaster on the Upper Lot, where its entrance is within a large red-brick structure designed to resemble a garage. Two stationary replica vehicles will greet guests outside and provide photo opportunities before they enter.
The Fast & Furious theme continues inside.
The queue includes recreated props and details inspired by the Fast Saga movies. Guests will also get an early look at the action as the coaster track passes through a transparent, enclosed section of the queue.
When it’s time to ride, guests could find themselves inside vehicles modeled after a Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R, or Toyota Supra.
They’ll need to leave their belongings behind first.
Universal will require lockers for loose items, including phones, wallets, and merchandise. Guests will also pass through scanners before boarding to make sure unsecured belongings don’t make their way onto the coaster.
Those precautions make sense for an attraction featuring launches, inversions, rotating vehicles, and speeds of up to 72 mph.
And Universal isn’t stopping with California.
Florida Is Getting Its Own Version
Universal Studios Florida is already preparing its own Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster for 2027.
An exact opening date hasn’t been announced, and the Florida attraction won’t simply copy Hollywood’s layout.
One of its defining features will be a vertical spike rising nearly 17 stories above Universal Studios Florida and extending toward Universal CityWalk. Its vehicles will also rotate 360 degrees, bringing the drifting concept to Orlando.
Construction has already progressed on the project, giving Universal Orlando Resort another major attraction following the May 2025 opening of Epic Universe.
The new coaster also arrives as Universal moves away from its previous Fast & Furious attraction on both coasts.
The Old Fast & Furious Era Is Over
Fast & Furious: Supercharged has permanently closed at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.
Hollywood’s version operated as part of the Studio Tour before closing permanently in 2025. The standalone Orlando attraction followed, giving its final rides on August 16, 2026. Universal had previously planned to keep the Florida version until 2027 before moving its closure forward.
Neither of the former Supercharged locations currently has a confirmed replacement.
Universal hasn’t revealed what will replace the former Hollywood Studio Tour experience or the closed attraction at Universal Studios Florida.
In Orlando, fans have speculated about possibilities involving Ghostbusters, Twisters, Back to the Future, and other franchises. Universal hasn’t confirmed any of those ideas.
With Hollywood Drift already heading to another section of Universal Studios Florida in 2027, the former Supercharged space could eventually become home to something entirely different.
Universal Is Ready to Hit the Gas
For now, California gets the first turn.
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift officially opens September 16, giving Universal Studios Hollywood a 72-mph coaster with rotating vehicles, four launches, inversions, and a sprawling outdoor layout.
Supercharged may be gone, but Universal clearly isn’t finished with Fast & Furious.
Instead, it’s putting the franchise on a much faster track.
