Six Flags' Secretive New Coaster Will Be Among 'Top 5' Tallest in the World, Reach 80MPH Upside Down

Colson ThayerFri, May 29, 2026 at 8:01 PM UTC

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Construction progresses on Six Flags Great Adventure's "Project Purple" roller coaster.
Credit: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure -

Six Flags Great Adventure's new record-breaking roller coaster will be one of the five tallest in the world

The new coaster, nicknamed “Project Purple,” will feature a rare inverted launch reaching speeds of 80 mph upside down

Construction equipment for the ride will reach 450 feet, hinting at its towering height

Six Flags also partnered with a local pancreatic cancer nonprofit to elevate awareness through the ride's temporary codename

A brand-new record-breaking coaster is quickly rising high above Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, and it'll soon be “one of the five tallest roller coasters in the world.”

The new attraction, currently known as “Project Purple,” will have “six different records attributed to it,” Ryan Eldredge, the park's director of sales and marketing, tells PEOPLE. While full details have yet to be announced, the official did share just how tall construction equipment will need to be to reach its peak.

Construction progresses on Six Flags Great Adventure's "Project Purple" roller coaster.
Credit: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

“The crane will be 450 feet tall, so that gives you some idea about where the ride height will be,” Eldredge says. For comparison, Falcon's Flight, the world's tallest coaster at Six Flags Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia reaches 640 feet into the air, according to the ride's manufacturer.

Construction progresses on Six Flags Great Adventure's "Project Purple" roller coaster.
Credit: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

Among the notable ride elements, Eldredge points out three launches already installed along the track — including a rare inverted launch, where riders will go from about 60 to 80 mph while suspended upside down. But that won't even be the fastest speed.

The new attraction is expected to open in 2027 and crews are already making major progress on the project. Eldredge anticipates the entire track will be completed by August with three to four months of safety testing to follow.

Construction progresses on Six Flags Great Adventure's "Project Purple" roller coaster.
Credit: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

The highly anticipated addition to the park will come two years after the beloved Kingda Ka roller coaster came crashing down in February 2025. The attraction took riders up 45 stories and launched them at 128 mph in just 50 seconds. But Eldredge says roller coaster aficionados should have no worries about how this new ride will compare.

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“I think for a guest, seeing it erected as high as it's going to be, and launching in a way that it will, I think it'll be very reminiscent,” he says.

While an official name for the attraction has yet to be announced, the internal codename “Project Purple” holds significance among the team. Eldredge says it was first used as shorthand, but after discovering the ride temporarily bears that same name as a local pancreatic cancer nonprofit, they knew they could do more to elevate the cause. On May 15, the two organizations announced an official partnership to cross-promote.

“It's been really, really cool to be a part of something like that,” Eldredge says. “Just to make it intentional, I thought was really special.”

Six Flags Great Adventure announces new partnership with Project Purple, a cancer research and treatment non-profit.
Credit: Courtesy of Six Flags Great Adventure

The new record-breaking roller coaster isn't the only change coming to Six Flags Great Adventure. Crews are continuing to make progress on the park's Boardwalk area that'll include new rides, games and food offerings.

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Down south, the company continues to make progress on another record-breaking roller coaster. Six Flags Over Texas' Tormenta Rampaging Run entered its testing phase earlier this week. The attraction, the world's tallest, fastest, longest and first-ever giga (300-foot-tall) dive coaster in the world, will open later this year as part of the park's 65th anniversary celebration.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”