For decades, few rivalries could top that of the battle for the "Coaster Capital of the World" crown. Seriously, in the '90s and 2000s – with the Coaster Wars raging and park operators at their hungriest for new thrills – it was anyone's guess which park would tout having the most roller coasters on Earth any given season. That record was batted back and forth between Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks, each racing to build taller, faster, steeper, and – most importantly today – more roller coasters.

Now that the chaos of the Coaster Wars have largely subsided, it's probably a good time to pause and look at the industry today. Which parks actually ended up with the biggest coaster counts? You may be surprised... 

Honorary Mention: The 14 Coaster Club

Though our Coaster Count Countdown includes just five slots (with the fifth-ranked park containing a substantial 15 coasters), we have to at least give an honorary mention shoutout to the gaggle of parks that house the similarly-impressive count of 14 roller coasters. Look, you don't get 14 roller coasters overnight. And almost by definition, having more than a dozen roller coasters means you've got many different types of roller coasters – another feat.

So before we begin with our formal top 5 countdown, we've got to applaud Kings Island (Ohio), Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina), Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, Texas), Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey), and Europa Park (Rust, Germany) that all manage to squeeze 14 coasters into their layouts. Not bad – and it means that any one of those parks could easily tip into the top 5, joining our current fifth place in the Coaster Count Countdown... 

5. Six Flags Great America (15)

Six Flags currently operates 15 amusement parks across North America (though parks seem to come and go from the company's direct ownership, operation, and / or branding every few years). Despite being the amusement park of many regional centers, most Six Flags parks actually tend to have rather modest ride lineups. Some still count Vekoma SLCs and Boomerangs as headliners. But a few have certainly been elevated into flagships with robust lineups and unique rides.

Six Flags Great America outside of Chicago, Illinois is certainly one of them, currently housing 15 coasters. (Two decades ago, that would've made it the unchallenged "Roller Coaster Capital," snatching first place for its own.) 

Great America doesn't necessarily hold any record-breaking coasters, but it does house a lot of firsts. B&M's first coaster ever, Iron Wolf, could've been found there (but has now been relocated to Six Flags America as Firebird). The first B&M inverted coaster, Batman: The Ride (above), is still a landmark and a bucket list attraction for many coaster fans. Same with Raging Bull, co-debuting with Apollo's Chariot in 1999 as the first of B&M's airtime-filled hypercoasters. In terms of more modern anchors, there's the RMC Topper Track'ed Goliath and the S&S launched coaster Maxx Force, the B&M wing coaster X-Flight, and the S&S 4th Dimension Joker. It's a very diverse and surprisingly quality ride lineup... but not nearly as well-known as the next park... 

4. Cedar Point (15 + 1 in 2023)

If you were expecting Cedar Point to rank higher on this list... surprise! Yes, after being the big name in the "Coaster Wars" of the '90s and 2000s and a longtime contender for the "Coaster Capital" crown, Cedar Point seems to have pretty much surrendered in its long-time pursuit to house more roller coasters than any other park on Earth. Of course, many coaster enthusiasts still cite the Ohio park as the "Coaster Capital" given that its lineup is downright legendary and packed with bucket list thrills.

Though its lineup is significant, there's no need to beat around the bush... Without a doubt, Cedar Point is best known for being the first park to break through 100-, 200-, 300- and 400-foot height records with 1978's Gemini, 1989's Magnum XL-200, 2000's Millennium Force, and 2003's Top Thrill Dragster – each a renowned landmark ride in its own right. Add to that all-star lineup hits like the wild, experimental, bucking Intamin installation Maverick and the best-in-class RMC Steel Vengeance and it's easy to see why Cedar Point is worth visiting for any coaster fan.

To round out the lineup, you've got legendary B&M invert Raptor, the graceful and iconic B&M wing coaster Gatekeeper, the oversized B&M dive coaster Valravn, and more. Of course, like many of the biggest players in the Coaster Wars, Cedar Point arguably overinvested in coasters in the '90s and 2000s. It has zero dark rides, few flat rides, and a severe shortage of "medium-sized," family-focused thrills. Which helps explain the need for the new Boardwalk area in 2023, bringing with it a fan-frustrating Wild Mouse. 

It's difficult to classify Cedar Point's position in the lineup given that technically, Top Thrill Dragster was standing but not operating throughout 2022, and given the park's announcement that the experience "as we know it" is being retired, it looks likely to stay that way in 2023. But the added note that "our team is hard at work, creating a new and reimagined ride experience" means that Dragster will probably return in an edited form, meaning we're comfortable continuing to count it as SBNO in the park's lineup for now...

Meanwhile, would you believe that one of Cedar Point's own sister parks has actually grown to outrank the one-time "Coaster Capital of the World"?! Read on...