Xcelerator • Knott's Berry Farm

Launch Intensity Smoothness

I can't believe Xcelerator isn't the top rated coaster at Knott's Berry. Yeah it could be longer, but this thing is insane. The launch is so incomprehensibly fast, it nearly knocks the wind out of you. I enjoyed back row best, makes the airtime over the hi hat better. Front row is good too but not worth the extra wait. I think I could spend an entire day at Knott's Berry Farm just riding only Xcelerator and I'd be happy

Launch Fun Smoothness Too short

Very fun, not as good of a launch as Kingda Ka, but it’s much smoother so it makes up for it

Lap Bar Launch Ejectors Rattle Capacity

This ride kicks ASS! Bam, launch! Bam, top hat! Bam, brakes! Ride it again! The launch is so addicting and the top hat has this wonderful airtime all the way through it.

Fun Capacity

This ride is max to the top! i rode this and was so fun! but it has one train which is disappointing and it is to short.

Lap Bar Launch Pace Layout

"Still the best launch i've experienced today." - Airtime Thrills. I take his word for it. Best launch in the world. Plus it has lap bars and not those nasty hard straps like ISpeed at Mirabilandia. It has had some rough times, facing a terrible accident before I rode it, but Knott's has not give up on it yet. When I went on my first trip to Knotts with my dad, we saw Xcelerator do some test runs out of nowhere. It had to mean that Cedar Fair has put some money into it and refurbished the one coaster which has the craziest launch in America. Plus throw in some 56' Chevy Bel Air trains with lap bars which look fantastic and call it a day. Much better version of Stealth at Thorpe Park. I can only think that this coaster is cursed, I mean it was placed on Windjammer's old area, which was a HORRIBLE coaster. Is this plot cursed? Maybe. But, still amazing ride and worth Cedar Fair's time.

Launch Smoothness Too short

That launch way to good it is my favourite launch plus it is only a lap bar

Launch Smoothness

So awesome! My #1 coaster right now. Always keep your head on the headrest, and enjoy the ride!

Launch Fun Too short

Not as "short" as Kingda Ka (which is being or is torn down), and the launch is great.

Theming Launch Intensity Theming Launch Intensity

Grandma Karen is going to take Me and Irelyn Farrell to Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park California what I told her to and I will ride Xcelerator at Knott’s Berry Farm by sitting next to Irelyn Farrell on it for my very first time this 2025

Lap Bar Launch Fun Too short

One of my favorite launches on any coaster. Good airtime rising up/falling down the top hat depending on where you sit. Intamin T-Bars are great restraints. Could use a couple extra elements of course.

Comfort Fun Ejectors Capacity

Intense, smooth, great launch. There are positives as you get launched up the top hat, and you get ejected in the back row. The two banked turns add a lot to the layout, despite seeming pointless. It lets you embrace the speed for longer. The only downside was the operations that day. Dispatches took 4-6 minutes! It was worth it, though.

Lap Bar Comfort Launch Too short

As my first hydralic launch, this definitely lived up to the hype! It was pretty short but still gives quite the rush. I was a bit worried that the hydralic launch would be uncomfortable but thankfully it wasnt painful at all, just really fast. Also, the tracks and ride vehicle look super cool.

Launch Intensity Too short

loved this ride since i first rode it in 2014 (half star off for the nausea i got on my most recent reride??? not sure what happened there!)

Launch Intensity Too short

It is short but sweet. The launch is amazing.

Launch Fun Intensity Too short Capacity Reliability

Xcelerator has the best launch of any ride i have ever ridden. This thing launches you so fast that it feels like you teleport from the station to the highest point of the top hat. It's a very short ride but i'll take it after one hell of a launch.

Launch Intensity Too short

The best launch experience

Airtimes Launch Intensity Too short Theming

the best launcged coaster i rode so far,the launch is something unbelivable,very strong,intense and fun. the top hat also is very powerful with a lot of airtime and g force. it's too short unfortunatly,with some meter more of track i would appreciate this coaster more

Launch Masterpiece Intensity

Xcelerator is AMAZING!! It has a dominating presence on the midway with it's tall tophat. Once you board the train, you'll notice the fantastic seats and restraints, the seats are quite comfortable and well equipped for the insanity you're about to experience, additionally, you have the amazing T-BAR restraint which is so minimal I honestly forget it's there. The ride begins with an INSANE launch out of the station, after, you enter the fantastic airtime filled tophat, receiving FANTASTIC lateral ejector on the way down! You then enter a tight pullout into an insane overbank, which is shockingly intense, you then transition, into a second, fantastically whippy overbank into brakes so intense, I genuinely consider them a ride element. Xcelerator is fast, smooth, whippy, intense, airtime-filled; frankly, there's so many pros to this ride I can't even list them all! Which is why Xcelerator is the best coaster I have ever ridden! :D

Launch Intensity Ejectors Capacity

Xcelerator, easily the best launch coaster in California, is a beast. That launch is absolutely no joke, its so forceful that it feels like you teleported down the track. The following element is absolutely bonkers as well. The 200ft+ tophat gives some absolutely violent ejector airtime in the backrow. Paired with the crazy laterals, the moment is even more amplified. The following overbanks, although pretty forceless really highlight the speed of the coaster. The overbank through the tophat also has an underrated handchopper on the right. I know everyone complains that the coaster is too short, but I really don't see a reason for it too be longer. These accelerators are all about that launch and Xcelerator no doubt does not disappoint.

Launch Reliability

I love this ride, but I haven't been able to ride since like 2008 because this thing is always down. Is it SBNO status now? I honestly have no idea, i dont really follow industry news.

Lap Bar Launch Intensity Rattle Too short Reliability

This ride is intense when you launch out of the station at like 80 mph in like 2 seconds. The lap bars are so comfortable too. This thing breaks down a lot, so be prepared. It's very short so they added two overbanked turns, but that shows you how rattley the ride is as chances are, you were too distracted by the launch. The view of Anaheim is nice too; try to spot things you recognize up there in the one second you're up there. The airtime over the hill is awesome too. It also pulls positive G's. This ride was a prototype for the original Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, and this ride outlived that one.

Launch Fun Intensity

The launch is absolutely phenomenal and the top hat gives some legit airtime. The rest of the ride is just fun but the super intense launch is definitely the highlight for me.

Launch is so damn good. Top hat is also great, especially in the back.

Lap Bar Launch Too short

That launch!

Theming Comfort Launch

Come for one of the most powerful launches in the world, stay for the good times you get with the themes and comfortable restraints.

Launch Intensity Too short

This is easily the craziest launch I've ever experienced. For whatever reason, Stealth at Thorpe Park, which has similar stats on the launch itself, felt less intense (the top hat felt much more intense though, I feel like I didn't get much airtime on this tophat). This one felt like it was trying to push me through the back of the train, it was insane. Never felt anything like it. Velocicoaster has "better" launches in terms of their pacing and the continuity of the ride, but in terms of pure intensity, Xcelerator takes the cake. So great that it's finally open to the public again!

Launch Capacity

Xcelerator is one of the few Intamin Accelerators to get a lapbar, and it definitely benefits from it. Doing "something" with the power rather than bleeding it off needlessly is a big plus. Theming is effective and looks great lit up at sunset. Big minus however for capacity; by Cedar Fair standards turnarounds are extremely slow even on a dead quiet day (5-min despatch is not unusual). I assume the additional paranoid cross checking stem from the incidents on Perilous Plunge & Hydro that shared similar restraints.

Launch Intensity Too short

The launch is amazing. The acceleration and force behind it is so much fun and intense. But it is just so short. Like I get it was basically a prototype, but I feel like Intamin could have done a bit more than a couple of turns after the top hat. But still, it is really, really fun, and I can not wait till I can go back to Knott’s and experience that amazing launch again.

Lap Bar Launch Fun Too short

The overbanks may not be that great, but the amazing launch and top hat make the ride worth it.

Lap Bar Launch Intensity

Hard to say a bad thing about this coaster. The 0-82 launch in just seconds is wild, and the intensity through to the end of the drop is definitely present. I also like that on this ride, unlike others of its kind, you go around the hill a little bit and the ride doesn’t just end. It’s enjoyable, it’s fast, and it towers over the park and Buena Park. Great coaster all the way around.

Launch Intensity Layout Too short Capacity

The ride that started the stratacoaster model, Xcelerator has a bathroom located just to the left. In there you will find Xelerator brand hand driers. The theming is top notch.

Lap Bar Launch Smoothness Dead spots Layout

This ride is a blast. The reason you ride is that beautiful 82 mile per hour launch, that accelerates to full speed in 2 seconds, that gives you a gut punch unlike no other... and is on LAP BARS! Even though this ride suffers thanks to its forceless overbooks and slow pacing at the end, the launch alone makes this ride amazing.

Lap Bar Launch Fun

Very forceful launch to start with good airtime on the top hat. The overbanks provide some good positives as well. The lap bars are comfy and an improvement compared to Kingda Ka’s harness. Smooth and just fun like most accelerators.

Lap Bar Launch Intensity Too short Capacity

This is my second favorite coaster at knotts and my 7th favorite overall. The launch is crazy and the lap bar is very confortable. I do not give it 5 stars because it is so short and lines can get really long on weekends due to low capacity.

Lap Bar Launch Intensity Too short

I love Xcelerator, in my opinion it is the best roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm! The launch out of the station is amazing, the top hat is very fun and gives a great view, and while the layout is short the banked turns are also very fun.

Lap Bar Launch Fun Too short

Xcelerator takes off like a bullet and leaves your stomach in the station. It's intense, and the layout is over quickly. No launch has come close quite yet, except maybe TTD.

Nice surprise! Launch Intensity Too short

Xcelerator has the best launch I've ever done. The top hat delivers a great view of Buena Park, and some surprising airtime. Xcelerator, while an extraordinarily intense ride, just doesn't have much layout, as is standard on Intamin Accelerators. Xcelerator is a quick punch of adrenaline that is absolutely worth a shot.

Lap Bar Launch

Nothing can compare a hydraulic launch. Unfortunately, LSM almost domains all the launch coaster nowadays. This launch is just fantastic. And the seat! with lap bar only!

Lap Bar Launch Ejectors Capacity

The prototype Intamin Accelerator, Xcelerator still has a lot to offer when compared to its bigger brothers that it helped spawn. While it might not be as tall or fast as Top Thrill Dragster or Kingda Ka, Xcelerator can still keep up. Not only is the launch still one of the most intense out there, but the ride doesn't just end after the top hat, instead going through a course of banked turns where you can really feel the speed. Plus you get that Accelerator signature ejector on that top hat, which is made even better by the lapbars. Unfortunately you can expect this ride to be running just 1 train most of the time, so lines stack up pretty quickly on most days.

Launch Intensity Layout Too short

WOW. This has one of the best launches I've ever experienced. It's glassy smooth, intense, and has more than just a top hat. The restraints just being lap bars amplifies the psychological intensity and fear factor, which for some reason on this ride makes a huge difference. There's just something about being whipped right out of the station by a hydraulic launch that gets to me.

Launch Harness Intensity Too short Capacity Layout

Launch Pace Intensity Too short Capacity

First Drop Pace Ejectors Too short Layout

First Drop Lap Bar Launch

Launch Intensity Too short

Launch Intensity Too short