Universal Epic Universe officially opened on May 22, 2025, with five highly themed worlds containing 14 attractions, ranging from kid-friendly to high-thrill, and while different park goers will have a different rankings of their favorite Epic Universe attractions, one thing is for sure: this park has something for everyone.
Photos courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort
Epic Universe 101
Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park is made up of five themed worlds:
- Celestial Park – The “hub” for the park’s hub-and-spoke design, Celestial Park is the source of the cosmic power that flows through the Chronos at the park’s entrance and opens portals to the other four worlds.
- Super Nintendo World – Universal’s third Nintendo-themed land (the others are at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood) brings favorite video games to life. It features two distinct areas: Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Kingdom.
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic – The only Wizarding World land of its kind takes guests to 1920s Paris as seen in “Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald” (2018); however, when they pass through the magical Metro Floo, they will be transported through time and space to 1990s London for an adventure inside the British Ministry of Magic.
- How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk – This Viking village from the hit “How to Train Your Dragon” animated franchise puts guests face-to-face with characters from the movies—and they most definitely have dragons.
- Dark Universe – Themed after the stories of iconic Universal movie monsters, including Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man, the mysterious village of Darkmoor is where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein continues her great-great-grandfather’s monstrous experiments.
Epic Universe Attraction Rankings
Keeping in mind that describing attractions as “best” or “worst” is entirely subjective, as a thrill seeker’s top picks will undoubtedly be very different than someone afraid of coasters, this is my personal list of Epic Universe attractions, from “least favorite” to “most favorite,” based on innovation, ride experience, and theming.
Descriptions are from Universal Orlando Resort
14. Mine-Cart Madness in Super Nintendo World
Careen through the jungle and help Donkey Kong protect the Golden Banana on the thrilling family coaster, Mine-Cart Madness.
This single-car roller coaster features Donkey Kong characters and a cool design that makes it feel like the mine cart is actually jumping over broken sections of track. However, the extremely rough ride puts it at the bottom of my list.
13. Dragon Racer’s Rally in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Hold on tight and practice aerobatic maneuvers on a Viking-made dragon-riding trainer in hopes of becoming a champion dragon-racer.
The concept of this high-flying attraction is A+—and I love that riders can control their movements by shifting their body weight—but the combination of spinning and heights prevents this ride from being higher on my list.
12. Viking Training Camp in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Young Vikings will discover all types of dragons as they climb, slide, and explore in this sprawling, interactive adventure play camp.
The only reason Viking Training Camp is so low on my list is that my two sons are now grown. However, if Epic Universe had been open 20 years ago, we would have spent an enormous amount of time in this kids’ play area. The theming is fantastic, the variety of activities is impressive, and the views of Berk from the upper levels are unbeatable.
11. Yoshi’s Adventure in Super Nintendo World
Join Yoshis and search for the glowing eggs as you travel through Mushroom Kingdom landscapes in this enchanting, family-friendly ride.
In a park with too few kid-friendly attractions (and only three with no height restriction), this extremely slow-moving ride still did not live up to its potential. Nevertheless, it’s definitely cute, the interactive component of finding eggs is fun, and air conditioning is always welcome in Orlando.
10. Fyre Drill in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Ruffnut & Tuffnut have created a watery boat battle where teams of Vikings compete to outscore and out-soak each other.
Except for the interactive water play (which can be either a plus or a minus, depending on whether you’re the kind of person who likes to get wet), this is another family-friendly/no height restriction attraction that fell short of its potential for me.
9. Constellation Carousel in Celestial Park
Ride celestial lions, dragons, bears, and more as the constellations themselves take physical form on this imaginative, cosmic carousel.
This “not-a-carousel” carousel is gorgeous (and even more so when lit up at night), and I love that the starships move in different circles and at varying heights. My only critique is that the speed could be slightly faster.
8. Curse of the Werewolf in Dark Universe
Beware as you face the Curse of the Werewolf, which sends you spinning and speeding through deep woods that werewolves call home.
I really wanted to love this family coaster—and I thought it would be more of a terrain-style track than simply a horseshoe—but while the spinning feature is surprisingly fun, the combo of spinning with the repeated back-and-forth movement through the U-turn made me dizzy. However, the werewolf animatronic figure is exceptionally cool.
7. Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge in Super Nintendo World
Ride through iconic courses, throw shells, and collect digital coins to beat Team Bowser. You’ve never experienced Mario Kart like this!
I have mixed feelings about this AR video game-style attraction, which is why it sits smack in the middle of my list of favorite Epic Universe attractions. While the concept is excellent and the physical sets are beautiful, I always have trouble figuring out the game-play element, which, honestly, may be due to my age, since my sons are much more successful at scoring points than I am.
6. Stardust Racers in Celestial Park
Blazing through the skies of Celestial Park, Stardust Racers is a dual-launch racing coaster that hurls you across the cosmos.
Stardust Racers is not for the faint of heart. Full stop. That being said, the high-speed outdoor dueling roller coaster is a thrilling ride with lots of airtime. In addition, the racing aspect makes it even more exciting, and there’s only one inversion, which may ease the minds of those who dislike going upside down.
Fun Fact: At the back of each Stardust Racers train car is a Flux Capacitor, Doc Brown’s invention from “Back to the Future” that makes time travel possible.
5. The Untrainable Dragon (Show) in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
The arrival of a new dragon in Berk presents a challenge to Hiccup, Gobber, and Astrid in this spectacular live show.
Universal hit it out of the park with this stage show featuring live singers, musicians, and spectacular life-sized dragon puppets, including the beloved Toothless (no spoilers). If you’re not familiar with the “How to Train Your Dragon” movies, this is the perfect first stop to get the land’s backstory.
4. Le Cirque Arcanus (Show) in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Come face-to-face with fantastic beasts at Le Cirque Arcanus, a spectacular mix of live performers, puppetry, and special effects.
As a Wizarding World fan, this show has everything I could have hoped for: circus acts, fantastic beasts, and a whole lot of magic. If I could change anything, I would have preferred a live actor as Newt Scamander over a screen appearance by Eddie Redmayne. Also, I can’t figure out why the name of the ringmaster—Skender—is so similar to Scamander. Still, this show will be a must-do for me on every Epic Universe visit.
3. Hiccup’s Wing Gliders in How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk
Get a dragon’s eye view as Hiccup’s latest flying contraption sends you swooping and soaring, above and around the Isle of Berk.
By far my favorite Universal Orlando roller coaster, with fantastic storytelling, amazing animatronic figures, special effects, music from “How to Train Your Dragon” movies, and the perfect amount of “thrill factor” 10 out of 10; no notes.
Insider Tip: Littles who may not be tall enough to ride can spot some of the ride’s dragons from the upper level of Viking Training Camp.
2. Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment in Dark Universe
In Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, Dr. Victoria Frankenstein puts you in the midst of an angry revolt of fiendish monsters.
I’m not going to lie: As someone who isn’t a horror fan, I was extremely worried about this attraction, but thankfully, it’s not the Halloween Horror Nights-style jump-scare-filled experience I feared. Instead, the highly detailed queue experience inside Frankenstein Manor is fantastic, providing context for Victoria Frankenstein’s complicated relationship with her family, the number and scale of animatronic monster figures in the ride itself are impressive, and the storyline makes it feel more like a quest than a chase.
My other potential worry was that Monsters Unchained uses the same arm-style ride system as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which I don’t do well on, but they’ve smoothed out the ride and reduced the number of screens (by a lot), so I felt fine. That said, if you suffer from motion sickness, it’s probably smart to take a Dramamine just to be safe.
1. Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Soar on a magical lift as you help Harry, Ron, and Hermione stop Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.
I expected this would be at the top of my list of favorite Epic Universe attractions, and it did not disappoint, but what I didn’t expect is that the queue experience is an attraction in and of itself, from entering the Parisian Metro Floo station to the transition through the floo network (a magical mode of transportation via fireplaces from the Harry Potter movies) and finally, arriving in the jaw-dropping Ministry of Magic. This is one queue I don’t think anyone will mind waiting in.
For the ride itself, Universal took everything we love about the previous Wizarding World-themed rides and upped the ante with spectacular practical sets, incredibly lifelike animatronic figures, and an exciting storyline featuring not only Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but also Delores Umbridge (with a deliciously wicked performance by Imelda Staunton) and an all-new character, a sassy house elf named Higgeldy.
While I didn’t have any trouble with the “omnidirectional elevator” ride vehicle movements, motion sickness sufferers should probably take the same precautions as for Monsters Unchained.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, this list of Epic universe attractions will help you plan your first (or next) trip to the new park. And please comment below with your favorites!
1-Day Park-to-Park with Roundtrip Transfers provides guests a 1-Day Park-to-Park experience with transportation to Universal Orlando® from Disney® Area Hotels.
