Universal Working Hard on 5 New Rides as Expansions Continue Across Resort

Universal Orlando Resort has publicly named one major new ride for its Florida lineup: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, a 2027 roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida. But that single announcement understates how much change is already moving through the resort.

Across Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe, demolition, closure announcements, and public permit activity point to at least five additional attraction or redevelopment sites. The critical distinction is that most of those projects do not yet have officially announced identities, ride systems, or opening dates.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift Is the One Fully Announced New Ride

Universal announced Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift in January 2026. The outdoor coaster is replacing Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and will use ride vehicles capable of 360-degree rotation to create a drifting sensation. Universal also confirmed a 170-foot vertical spike extending over the outskirts of Universal CityWalk.

The company currently lists the attraction simply as coming in 2027; it has not published a specific opening date. For guests planning next year’s trips, that makes Hollywood Drift the clearest piece of the Universal Orlando new attractions pipeline.

Construction has already changed the Universal Studios Florida skyline, and Inside the Magic has tracked the broader reshuffling of the park’s Fast & Furious lineup as work progresses.

Islands of Adventure Is Losing Lost Continent for a New Themed Area

At Islands of Adventure, the change is bigger than a single ride. Universal confirmed in May that venues and experiences in Lost Continent would permanently close in phases to make way for a new themed area.

Demolition has since removed major pieces of the land, including structures associated with Poseidon’s Fury and The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad. Inside the Magic has documented the Lost Continent demolition as the original 1999 area steadily disappears.

What Universal has not announced is the identity of its replacement. Pokémon has been repeatedly discussed in fan and industry speculation, but Universal has not confirmed Pokémon for Islands of Adventure. The same caution applies to other proposed intellectual properties.

For vacation planners, the practical takeaway is simpler: the Lost Continent guests knew is being dismantled, and a replacement themed area is officially coming, even though Universal is withholding its name, attraction lineup, and opening timetable.

Epic Universe Has Two Significant Projects in the Permit Pipeline

Universal Epic Universe opened in May 2025, but public paperwork indicates the resort is already preparing additional capacity.

One permit trail is associated with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. Inside the Magic reported on the Project 987 paperwork describing a proposed two-story building of roughly 95,748 square feet. Earlier paperwork connected construction activity with the Ministry of Magic area, but Universal has not announced a specific new Harry Potter ride.

A separate project, known as Project 680, has produced stronger evidence of a ride. Orange County documentation reviewed by Inside the Magic describes a proposed three-story structure and includes a “Ride Maintenance Bay.” Site-preparation activity has also become visible around the Dark Universe expansion area.

That paperwork supports describing a future ride project—not naming its theme. Reports and fan speculation have connected the site to Creature from the Black Lagoon, but the permits do not identify the Creature, a boat ride, or any specific franchise concept.

That distinction matters. Universal appears to be physically advancing Epic Universe expansion work while still keeping the attractions themselves largely under wraps.

Universal Studios Florida Has Two More Spaces to Watch

The development map gets murkier back at Universal Studios Florida.

Animal Actors On Location!, an opening-year attraction, is scheduled for its final performance on November 2, 2026. Universal has said the show is making way for a “future experience,” giving this site an officially confirmed successor but no announced concept. Inside the Magic has followed the final weeks of the 36-year-old attraction as its closure approaches.

Then there is Fast & Furious – Supercharged. The attraction permanently closed August 17, 2026, earlier than Universal’s original 2027 timetable. Inside the Magic documented Supercharged’s permanent closure. Its former building now represents another major piece of available attraction infrastructure, but Universal has not announced what—if anything—will replace it.

That makes the Supercharged site different from Animal Actors. One has a promised future experience; the other is simply a closed attraction space with an unresolved future. Rumored replacements should not be presented as projects until Universal or verifiable public records establish them.

Universal Orlando’s Next Era Is Already Taking Shape

For families deciding when to visit, none of this means today’s Universal Orlando is unfinished. Epic Universe alone contains more than 50 experiences across five worlds, while Universal’s 2026 ticket structure allows multi-day access across Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe.

It does mean the resort guests see in 2026 could look materially different over the next several years.

Hollywood Drift is the only new ride in this group with a name and a 2027 opening window. Lost Continent’s successor is confirmed but unnamed. Animal Actors has a promised replacement. Epic Universe’s Potter- and Dark Universe-linked projects have substantial permit trails without formal attraction announcements. The former Supercharged space remains the biggest question mark.

The next milestones to watch are therefore not rumor posts, but Universal’s own announcements and additional public filings. Those will determine which of today’s construction clues become named attractions—and when families can actually plan trips around them.