Six Flags Magic Mountain · Samurai Summit
X2
The 4th-dimension coaster whose seats rotate you independently of the track — face-down off the first drop, on your back into the raven turn, screaming the whole way.
Ride facts
- Type
- Roller coaster
- Height
- 48in (122cm)48 inch minimum. The shoulder restraints also carry a maximum-lap-fit consideration larger riders should test at the entrance seat.
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Motion sickness
- High motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
- Inversions
- Yes
- Travels backwards
- Yes
Last verified July 2026
What it is
X2 opened in 2002 as X and became X2 in a 2007 rebuild, and nothing else at Magic Mountain — or almost anywhere — rides like it. The trains are gondolas on an extra axis: the seats flip forwards and backwards on a schedule set by the track's profile, so you drop the 215-foot first hill face-first whether you want to or not.
The rebuild added onboard audio and fire effects to the signature raven turn. The result is a coaster that guests either rank first at the park or refuse to re-ride, and both reactions are correct. It is the park's signature thrill and its least forgiving restraint system at the same time.
X2 holds a 48-inch minimum, but the honest filter is not height — it is tolerance. This is the ride to skip rather than test if anyone in your party has reservations about being rotated face-down at 76 miles per hour.
What riding it is actually like
The station loads slowly because every seat is a bench-rotate mechanism, so the queue moves in surges. Front-facing or rear-facing matters less than you would think — every seat flips. The lift is a conventional chain climb with a view of the whole valley, which is the calm before everything.
The first drop rotates you forward and down 215 feet face-first, and the track does not ask permission. The subsequent sequence — a raven turn with the flame effect, a twisting front-flip section, the inline twists — lands in whatever orientation the track decides. The final brake run arrives with the specific silence of a ride that has used up all your adrenaline.
Ride it once in the middle of the day when its queue dips, form your opinion, and re-ride at close if the opinion is yes. A surprising number of guests who hated it at noon want one more at ten at night.
Is X2 scary?
The seats rotate you forwards off each drop, face-down, with no way to anticipate the next flip. It is the most disorienting ride on the mountain and the one that separates enthusiasts who like intensity from enthusiasts who like comfort. The onboard audio in the front-facing seats adds to the assault.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
Full transfer into a rotating gondola seat with a complex restraint. There is a test seat at the entrance; larger riders should use it, as the restraint is among the least forgiving in the park.
Tips that actually help
- Use the test seat before queueing — the restraint is the tightest fit at the park.
- Ride midday: X2's queue peaks at open and close and dips during the lunch hours.
- Empty your pockets completely; the loose-article policy is strictly enforced at this ride and the lockers are at the entrance.
- Sit in the middle rows your first time — the rotation feels slightly more predictable there than in the lead gondola.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- 11:30–14:00 on weekdays, or the last hour before close.
- Typical wait
- 45–70 minutes at peak; 15–25 at open, close and lunch hours on weekdays.
- line-skip passes
- Covered by a line-skip pass
X2: common questions
Is X2 scary?
Yes, genuinely. The rotation puts you face-down into drops with no anticipation, and it is loud. It is the most intense ride at a park full of intense rides, and guests who handle every other coaster here sometimes tap out on this one.
What is the height requirement for X2?
48 inches. The restraint fit matters as much as the height — use the test seat if the rider is near either end of the size range.
Does X2 go upside down?
Constantly, and in the more disorienting way: the seats rotate you rather than the track holding you inverted. If you blackout-prone or motion-sensitive, this is the one to skip at the park.