Most recent visit: December 2025 Cubby wall for your loose items- shades, hats, cell phones, bags, backpacks. This used to intimidate me but it's a really fun ride, and it's super short, but that's the beauty of it. I think if it were longer, yes, this would not be something I could handle. This is the only thrill ride that I do, I mean, out of the extreme rides. I don't do Hang time. My loves do, but not me. The important thing to remember is to keep your head up against the headrest. Or you could hurt yourself. There are signs posted about this. read more

Unpopular opinion, this ride is... TERRIFYING. It shoots you out going what feels like the speed of light. The twists and turns and loops. It is wayy too much for me! I can handle baby coasters and that's it lol I can't do any of that speed of light stuff or loops. Going upside down gives me a panic attack (if I am being honest). This ride is for "the big kids." lol Those who are thrill seekers and need a rush. This will definitely frighten you. Becareful what you wish for though... I could stain my shorts on this ride. Not even kidding. It's so freaking fast and scary. I don't think the human body is meant to go that fast. lol The only good thing about this ride, is that it is over in the blink of an eye. So, the torture doesn't last too long. That's good news for me lol read more

After waiting in an unnecessary long line (Thanks Knott's Berry Farm) we then prepare ourselves for the inevitable. The launch. The moment everyone talks about. Counting from yellow to eventually green. We launch! Now, if you see the launch beforehand. It looks amazing, I mean 0-82 MPH in 2 seconds? That's insane! However, this launch is not good. No no no.... IT'S REALLY FREAKING GOOD! In fact, I don't think I've ever ridden a launched coaster with a launch as intense as this! Seriously! It's absolutely nuts! After that amazing launch, we the soar into the sky heading into the top hat. This part is awesome as we still have our speed giving us a solid ejector airtime moment. After that, we then hit the main drop of the coaster and head into two massive back to back overbank turns. These are fun, but they aren't anything spectacular. And then, you are flung over as you hit the mid-course brake run as the coaster forces you to worship it as it just gave you an incredible ride. So yeah, that's Xcelerator. And it really is amazing. This is an incredible coaster that really does help give Knott's another kickass coaster. However, I am greatly concerned for its longevity since, Intamin Accelerators are starting to become a dying breed with Top Thrill Dragster becoming Top Thrill 2 (sadly missed out on that one, I got to see it in pieces at least) and Kingda Ka closing (which I'm PISSED ABOUT SINCE SIX FLAGS CLOSED IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH NO WARNING OR ANNOUNCEMENT. I LITERALLY CANCELLED MY TRIP TO GREAT ADVENTURE AFTER BUYING PLANE TICKETS AFTER THEY DID THAT SH*T. F*CK THEM FOR THAT AND F*CK ANYONE DEFENDING THAT DECISION). I highly recommend it to everyone. Even if you have the credit. Ride it. You never know when Cedar Fair (Six Flags now) will decide to demolish it! Final Score: 93/100 Opened: June 22, 2002 Manufacturer: Intamin Last Ridden: August 3rd 2021 read more

I like this ride. It's not as fast as Superman at Six Flags (iykyk), but in the limited space that Knott's has, it's ridiculously fast. It launches you at 80 mph in about 2 seconds. Yes. You read that right! You are hurled up in the air and around 2 turns and that's it. You come to the end. It's fast but short. If you're an adrenaline junkie- this ride is for you. Just be prepared to WAIT!!!! Wait times average 30-45 minutes on a good day. 90+ when it's crowded. Tip- go when the park first opens. After that, you'll be forced to wait with the rest of Southern California. read more

When it's open, it's the best attraction to go on. Better than the Incredicoaster at Disney. Definitely recommend riding in the front seat at least once in your life. If you're stressed or depressed, this will cure that for at least an hour. It's definitely my favorite attraction at Knott's with Silver Bullet being a close second. read more

I just got a ride to xcelerator this weekend, after they reopen 2 weeks ago. Also, I remember riding the same attraction with my family back in 2009. It's my favorite fast ride from Knott's Berry Farm. read more

Xcelerator - Xcelerator testing November 2023 - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

See all

Gahhhhh!!! I freakin' love this roller coaster. Adrenaline rush x1000!!!!! As long as the line wait time doesn't exceed over an hour, (unless you're at Knott's on a peak summer day... well in that case lol), it's very much worth a ride or two on this under-a-minute zippin' coaster. Xcelerator is my favorite ride whenever I visit Knott's Berry Farm and it's an iconic, landmark ride at this amusement park; you can't visit this park without riding it at least once! Only downside, is this roller coaster is susceptible to breaking down often and being closed more often it ever should be, which is why I knocked off a star. To "xcelerate" this review to a close, I strongly recommend this roller coaster for all thrill seeking amusement park attendees. read more

I usually have to go on this ride whenever I go here as it is one of my favorite rides. Beware though that they sometimes only run 1 train instead of 2 which can make the line go slower as they tend to do a lot of repairs on the train, I guess it has a lot of wear and tear that goes with it. The con to this is how they structure how they assign the seats, as the line splits from the front four and then the rest. Then, each gate sits up to 4 people instead of 2 people which can be a drag as if you wait up front and if you really want to sit in the front, you might get the 2nd to the front that is the con. The ride itself is short like 30 seconds as they launch you, you go up the hill and around which is neat. If you go in the morning or before closing, the ride is a walk on for sure and really fun to go again and again. read more

Yes this ride is fast! At launching speed of 0-82 MPH in an easy 2.3 seconds and then with an immediate straight up twist, the Xcelerator is sure to knock your rocks off, but unfortunately it is a short lived ride at only just over a minute in duration. That twin hydraulic catapult motor sure does a number on the G-Forces your body will experience on this ride, especially open take off, but after the first drop, the rest is a blur and the next thing you know, the ride is over. I was like, "say what," it's over and after I stood in line for an hour. I wish the ride lasted at least two minutes. Don't get me wrong, the rise was a blast, but I do not think I would stand for an hour next time for this one; perhaps a half an hour. In the end, a quick burst of fun, for a minute of your life. read more

Xcelerator - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

"I feel the need . . . the need for speed." (Maverick, "Top Gun") If that's you, then there's Xcelerator. It's not as tall as the similar rides back east. My guess is that Knott's didn't have room for the track to be long enough to get the cars up more than 200 feet. That's okay, this works just fine. What Xcelerator does not have in height, it makes up for by adding several turns, so it's not only an up-and-down ride. But the big thing is speeding up to 82mph in a few seconds, then going straight up and then straight down. What a rush. But not worth waiting for more than half an hour. Go to Knott's on a weekday so you can ride this with little wait. And if you don't push your head back against the headrest when it's time to launch, and then you need to see a chiropractor regularly for a year after riding, then don't you come bellyachin' to me, you've been warned. With this quick of acceleration, you're riding in the Danger Zone. read more

GONE IN 60 SEC. This coaster is both fast and furious, but it's got no Nicolas Cage (or Vin Diesel, for that matter). ((sidenote : I'm convinced only sociopaths like me stand in a 1.5hr line for a ride that's over in less than a minute)) Anywho, Knotts' speediest coaster is also its tallest, with the crest of the 'top hat' element peaking at 205ft. In many ways, this Intamin accelerator coaster is a toned-down version of Top Thrill Dragster with a few overbanked curves thrown in. At only 2,202ft in length, it's a much shorter ride duration than most other coasters but Xcelerator makes it count. At a cost of $13M, this attraction replaced the hilariously broken and ill-fated Windjammer Surf Racers (which operated a grand total of three seasons before getting yanked).  The resulting plot of land was perfectly suited for this ride that lasts a mere minute long but delivers quite a rush. Here's how it works: a hydraulically powered winch attaches itself to the underside of the 20-rider train. The twin motor system generates up to 11,000HP (that's 7,800kW each, practically a goddamn jiggawatt) in order to prepare for launch. And you thought your electrical bill was expensive!?! Utilizing the same technology as aircraft carriers, the train gets catapulted from 0 to 82mph in 2.3 seconds, attaining a peak acceleration of 52.3ft/s^2 (compare this with TTD's 46.3ft/s^2). If you've yet to experience this burst of sudden acceleration on a coaster, then you're in for one hell of an eye-opening experience. A 'christmas tree' lighting array acts as a visual countdown as the station crew goes through the pre-launch preparations. When that bitch turns from red-to-yellow-to-green, you're boosted to the ride's max speed and climb vertically towards the apex. It's a nice view from the top to be sure, but don't enjoy the scenery too much because 40 seconds later you'll be hitting the magnetic brake run. Xcelerator acts like a line of uncut cocaine to Dragster's methamphetamine injection. One is more intense than the other but both get the adrenaline pumping in a BIG way. And as with TTD at Cedar Point, the front row seat is for thrill ride junkies only; casual riders might p*ss themselves. Fortunately I was able to squeeze this exhilarating coaster into my day at the park, because Xcelerator is a MUST RIDE when visiting Knotts Berry Farm. Eric S's KBF coaster ranking : 2nd out of 8! read more

See all

Fun fact: the initial burst of speak goes to 80 mph within 2-3 seconds. Different and quite intimidating. The sheer height of the loop made me almost want to turn back and get out of line. There are separate lines for the front cart (longer wait) and the following carts (shorter wait). While exhilarating, I can't imagine waiting in line here during the summer since it would be way too hot and there's no shade while waiting in line. There's a vending machine with drinks strategically placed to the side of the line. Also, I agree with Yelper Chuck K. in that the entrance is unnecessarily difficult to find (between the Johnny Rockets and restrooms). I'll stick with Montezooma's Revenge, which has a similar concept, a faster turnover, and is an old time favorite. read more

Xcelerator - The peak. - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

This is my favorite so far among the coasters at Knott's. It starts off as a tease drifting backwards then bursting forward like how California Screaming at DCA. I'm afraid of heights too but on coasters I brave it out. I guess also being a blind bat without my glasses helped as well cause I couldn't see anything but blurry lights lol. They have cubby holes to store your lose items like glasses, bags hats etc since they are not allowed on the ride. I would definitely go back on this one. read more

Xcelerator - Amusement Parks Near Me - Buena Park, California

That is the best roller coaster I have ever been on in my life I like it a lot I have been on it a lot

This ride is quick as hell, but smooth sailing. I normally don't like waiting for it, but oddly enough on a Sunday the line was short, even for the line that is for the front car. It truly is still a marvel of roller coaster masterpiece. *TIP* - stick to the left line if you don't care about riding in the back. the line will always be quicker. read more

Lol to those that gave this ride 1 star because it's always closed. But then again I dont blame them. Xcelerator is one of if not the best ride in the park. When it is open its awesome. Because of these factors its 1 star for it always breaking down but 5 stars for when it does run its the shiznit. So an average of 3 stars is what I feel. I dont understand why they cant maintain it enough to the point that it isnt down most times. I mean look at Montezooma's Revenge. Its a similar concept but yet every time I come to the park that ride is always going and its been there even longer than Xcelerator. Just went a couple weeks ago and I remember on the Knott's website the morning we went that it was still closed. To my pleasant surprise it was running that day. Besides the fact that its down a lot of times, the entrance to this ride is nowhere near the Xcelerator sign. You gotta go down a bit past the 3 point basketball shootout to find the entrance. So when you do find the entrance, the wait to get on is usually 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Then in 60 seconds its over. For you ladies 60 seconds is not even an appetizer. Just sayin. :) Which brings me back to my Ghost Rider review. They should have designed it so that there is an unload section at the end of the ride. Then it goes forward to the loading station so people just hop right on in. As for you spec hungry peeps that always want to know how high and fast it goes, doesnt looking at it and riding it good enough for you? Ok, so it goes from 0 to 82 mph in 2.3 seconds reaching the highest point at 205 feet before going straight down and back to reality. Lastly, any time you ride this hold hands with the people in line, sing kumbaya, and pray that it doesnt get enough juice to make it over the hump so that it rolls back. Dont worry, there are safety protocols in place for you to return to the dock safely. That only means you get to launch again! Yay! Screw the 2 hour wait! Yelp 2018 Review #41 710 overall read more

I promise you that you will experience agonizing pain if you line up in the "first cart only line." Don't do it unless you reeeeealllyyyyy want to sit in the front cart and have extra time to spare! Anyways, after an hour and 40 minute wait, we got to sit in the very front which was super scary, yet AWESOME! My boyfriend said that my screams sounded like I was dying! The roller coaster starts with launching you FAST! After being buckled in, watch the light pole located towards the front on the right side if you want to know when you'll be flung forward. The ride is a quick 26 seconds, but there's a pretty steep drop and you're supposedly going 80+ MPH.. so if you're into that, it's totally worth it! FYI: No attraction at Knott's allows cameras, camera phones or even GoPros that are attached to your body =[ read more

I rode this twice today and it's extremely intense as always. If you're familiar with rides like Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka, this ride serves as a bit of a precursor to those taller, faster beasts to come (all three of which were manufactured by Intamin by the way). Still in its own right, Xcelerator charges right out of the gate at 82 mph in around 2 seconds up towards this 205 ft. hill that can sometimes make my ears pop with how fast we're adjusting to a suddenly higher elevation. There's also two banked turns that those other two rides don't have which extend the length of the ride instead of having it be the big hill and that's that. The ride experience itself is a bit on the rougher end of the spectrum and left me with a slight headache afterwards but that's perhaps to be expected for a ride of this nature. Personally I think there should be two trains instead of just relying on the same one all day. If you have one going through the ride while another one boards new passengers, that would make moving the lines more efficient and perhaps lessen the wear and tear on the ride vehicles when each one is given room to breathe. Regardless, this is still a really fun ride and it's a must for coaster enthusiasts. read more

I love Xcelerator so much. But I think that the rides such as Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka is very cool though. As you think about it, Xcelerator is built by Intamin. More rides built my Intamin is Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. Those three were built by Intamin. Xcelerator goes to a speed of 82MPH. When the ride is Pre Stage, you get prepared to shoot soon. When the ride is Stage, it goes back. Then, Yellow Yellow GREEN! Shoots off onto the pedal goes up a 90 Degree just like Top Thrill Dragster And Kingda Ka. Drops down a 90 Degree too. Xcelerator is not the same as Kingda Ka and TTD. Kingda Ka is the same as TTD except the Air Hill and Xcelerator has two bank turns. So the three are the same and not the same. Put Your Metal On The Pedal Information ----------------- Xcelerator 82MPH Height: 205 FT (62 m) Length: 2,202 ft (671 m) Capacity: 1,330 Riders Per Hour Acceleration: 0 82MPH (132 KM/H) in 2.3 seconds Human Height: 52 IN (132 CM) Kingda Ka Height: 456 FT (139 m) Drop: 418 ft (127 m) Length: 3,118 ft (950 m) Speed: 128MPH (206 KM/H) Capacity: 1,400 Riders Per Hour Acceleration: 0 to 128MPH (0 to 206 KM/H) in 3.5 seconds Human Height: 54 in (137 CM) Top Thrill Dragster Height: 420 FT (130 M) Drop: 400 FT (120 M) Length: 2,800 FT (850 M) Speed: 120MPH (190 KM/H) Capacity: 1,000 Riders Per Hour Acceleration: 0 to 120MPH (0 to 193 KM/H) In 4 Seconds Human Height: 52-78 In (132-198 CM) Thank You Intamin that built these best rides ever!! Junior .D read more

If you are over 25 u may want to consider your health .. It's been a few years since I rode a rollacoaster and holy moly.... So light headed after this one ( of course I didn't really eat yet but so different than the last time I rode a rollacoaster!! You go 0-80 in a few seconds ... Yikes!! So fun though my daughter who is 9 rode with us and if she could do it anyone should!! Major head rush!!!! Worth the wait!! read more

This ride is like less than a minute long. It launches you into 82 mph of awesomeness! This is a steel hydraulically launched roller coaster with a length of 2202 feet of track. The wait on this ride during Knott's Scary Farm last week wasn't too long. The line splits off into two separate lines: one for the front car and the remaining cars. We decided to go for the front car and ended up in the front row. It was a great ride and totally fun! read more

Just 10 minutes away from the happiest place on earth and located inside The land of the Boysenberry, lies Knotts Berry Farm. The park was built from Fried Chicken, Boysenberries, chills, and Thrills. One of their signature attractions is Xcelerator. A high speed coaster that takes you from 0 to 82 mph in 2 seconds. Once you hit the maximum speed, the coaster takes you up into the clouds 90'degrees. You what they say. What goes up must come down. It takes you down facing the ground. You are then plunged into twists and turns, turned upside down and then back to the station. This is approximately a 20 second ride. Although, necessary precautions are to not eat lunch before....and bring an extra pair of underpants. read more

I bought a annual pass just because of this ride. The rush at the beginning feels like I might die but when it reaches the top of the tallest loop it's like looking down on Buena Park from heaven right before gravity kicks in and pulls you back to earth. From Jan-May you can visit the park on weekdays and there is almost no wait for this ride. read more

At first it was closed but then they opened it and it was awesome because there was no wait. While the ride is thrilling and super fast, it is a little short. Still it was fun read more

The big rush is the "petal to the metal" acceleration at the beginning, but what else would you expect from a ride called Xcellerator? The "weightless" feeling on the 1st big drop was an unexpected surprise. Finding the entrance to this ride is a challenge and is a real stupid design, it is hidden between a bathroom and Johnny rockets. Not even close to the big Xcellerator sign. read more

Great ride, the best roller coaster in the park. It was a Friday morning so lines werent too long. We decided to sit in front which had the longest wait. In this line, you could either be in the front seats or the 2nd row seats. We were lucky to be in the front. The ride itself is less than a minute but well worth it. I havent been on a roller coaster this good for a long time. read more

If you visit knotts, this is a must ride. When I was in line, I was intimidated by the huge top hat and launch, witnessing riders accelerate (or xcelerate in this matter) from 0-82mph in 2 seconds!!!! But upon going in the seat and experiencing the ride, I wanted to ride again. I'll split this review into segments. Station: Themed a little bit to cars, but not a lot. What I don't really like is that the gates are separated into what car you want rather than row. Restraints: Restraints are extremely comfortable. It is a seatbelt with a lap bar padded with a type of strong foam. The thing about this lap bar compared to others is that it locks at any position. It's not like other restraints where you still have room from the bar and your lap and you have to either ride that way or push down until it locks to the next slot. Smoothness: This ride is SMOOTH. Being an intamin, you would already expect it to be smooth. No bumpiness or rattle. Overall experience during the ride: This ride is fast, and the launch really explains it. But really, this ride isn't scary. You don't get that weird stomach feeling you get on drops, which would eliminate that factor for people who hate steep large drops that hate that feel. If I were to say, I think Ghostrider was scarier. But anyways, I highly recommend to go on this ride. read more

This ride is awesome! Over 80 miles per hour. That's what I'm talking about. The 200 foot drop is great and while it's a fast ride, it feels like forever... in a good way. The theming is great- drag racing and old music. Definitely the best ride at Knott's Berry Farm. Very Top Thrill Dragster like. read more

This is not for the meek, but incredibly fun. Shorter than I'd like but the thrill was well worth it! Line was maybe a two ride wait (went at the beginning of October). Rode it at least 6 times! Highly recommend :) read more

Ride is fast. The instant it starts it goes from 0 to 82 miles per hour...whiplash!! haha! so worth it though.