Universal Orlando Announces New Monsters Ride Being Built at Epic Universe

Universal Orlando Resort has officially announced that Dark Universe is getting a brand-new indoor roller coaster, marking the first major addition at Epic Universe. Here are full details from the announcement, along with our commentary about this and other unannounced expansion plans at the year-old third gate.

Construction is already underway on the third ride inside Dark Universe, so it isn’t exactly a shock that Universal Orlando is announcing a new attraction. It is arguably somewhat surprising that they’re doing it so “early” in the process, at least relative to the norm for Universal.

It’s par for the course for the typically tight-lipped Universal to not make any announcements until construction is vertical, and even then, details are usually scarce. This is a sharp contrast to Walt Disney World, which often teases new projects long before dirt is moving.

However, Epic Universe badly needs capacity as soon as possible, so this news is as much a tacit acknowledgement that they’re working on that as it is a substantive announcement of the Dark Universe expansion. The 18-month old park has struggled with ride availability and ramping up operations, and this new indoor attraction should help address that.

Here’s the official announcement from Universal Orlando that a new indoor attraction is being built in Dark Universe at Universal Epic Universe:

Just over a year after its official debut, Universal Epic Universe is already preparing for its next thrilling addition: an all-new indoor coaster coming to Dark Universe, one of the theme park’s five extraordinary worlds.

Located next to the award-winning Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, the upcoming attraction will immerse guests in an all-new story inspired by the iconic Universal Monsters franchise. Construction is already underway, with an opening planned in the years ahead.

This new thrill ride is another example of how Universal Orlando Resort continues to bring all-new experiences to life across the entire destination. In the next year alone, guests can look forward to:

• the reimagined Universal Horror Make-Up Show featuring Blumhouse, opening later this year at Universal Studios Florida
• the high-speed roller coaster Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, opening in 2027 at Universal Studios Florida
• a new signature full-service restaurant in Jurassic Park at Universal Islands of Adventure, opening in 2027
• the music and entertainment venue Luke Combs’ Category 10, slated to open at Universal CityWalk in late 2027

More information about the all-new coaster coming to Dark Universe will be revealed at a later date. Here’s the teaser that was shared on social media:

Universal Epic Universe is preparing for its next thrilling addition: an all-new indoor coaster coming to Dark Universe – immersing guests in an all-new story inspired by the Universal Monsters franchise. Construction is underway, with an opening planned in the years ahead. https://t.co/9CDJzerHPu

— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) November 5, 2026

Our Commentary

Again, this is not particularly surprising news. We’ve known that something is brewing in Dark Universe for the last several months. Several construction permits have been filed for the expansion pad on that side of the park and visible work is already underway, all but confirming back a couple of months ago that Dark Universe would be get a monster new attraction.

The work on the attraction started in earnest in mid-to-late September. Site prep began, with a crane and pile driver appearing on-site. Around that same time, the scale and scope of this attraction has also come into focus with subsequent permits.

The permits indicate that this expansion is a three-story show building that’s over 93,000 square feet in size, with a ride maintenance bay on the first floor. Even before Universal’s official confirmation, the presence of a ride maintenance bay narrowed this to a…ride, putting previous rumors to rest about this being a stage show.

However, there had also long been rumors that the third ride in Dark Universe would be an indoor boat ride based on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but with a twist.

Recent official Dark Universe merchandise features Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon, seemingly stalking the Bride of Frankenstein. Fans believe that this merchandise foreshadows the third attraction in the land, which would involve both Creature from the Black Lagoon and Bride of Frankenstein.

The official confirmation does indicate this is a roller coaster, so at least the indoor boat ride portion of the prior rumors is wrong. Nevertheless, we wonder whether the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Bride of Frankenstein will still be featured as the ‘classic monsters’ in this third Dark Universe attraction.

All Universal has revealed is that “the upcoming attraction will immerse guests in an all-new story inspired by the iconic Universal Monsters franchise.” We can’t help but wonder whether it’ll expand the lore of Darkmoor by tying into the existing world-building of the land and fan-favorite Monsters Unchained, or will be its own thing entirely.

It’s also possible that this new attraction is an original theme park addition. We’re reluctant to read too much into Universal’s purposefully vague announcement, but it does say “all-new story” and “inspired by” the Universal Monsters franchise. That suggests original theme park IP, which would be excellent.

It would be a big swing from Universal Creative to expand with something completely original, but also arguably a logical one. Although it’s less popular with mainstream audiences, Dark Universe already has a cult following with diehard Universal fans.

Beyond Epic Universe, Halloween Horror Nights has proven that original concepts resonate with this audience, and are quite lucrative for Universal. And by the time the new indoor roller coaster opens, it’s safe to say that Epic Universe will have Annual Passes!

Nevertheless, I’m somewhat surprised that Universal is moving forward with Dark Universe expansion before anything else in Epic Universe. Harry Potter is the obvious choice, and next after that is Nintendo. Even with Pokemon coming to Islands of Adventure and, presumably, some other Nintendo property slated for Universal Studios Florida down the road, Nintendo still strikes me as the safer bet for Epic Universe.

Don’t misconstrue this as a complaint. It’s fantastic that Universal is going all-in on its classic monsters. Even though that’s technically the studio’s oldest franchise, that’s really not how it’s perceived by the average guest. Dark Universe is basically an original land, based on folklore and characters that are not necessarily associated with Universal.

I would also argue that Dark Universe is the most logical option for expansion. In the lead-up to opening, I was more excited for Dark Universe than anything else. In actuality, I found it to be the least impressive land, even if it was home to the best or second-best attraction, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment.

Building out Dark Universe with a third attraction could remedy that, and make Darkmoor feel like a more immersive and less disjointed place. Kudos to Universal for expanding the land that needs it most, even if something else might be more marketable.

One way that expanding Dark Universe does make sense is in terms of crowd flow; it’s typically the least busy of the lands in Epic Universe, and this should help reallocate crowds towards an area with underutilized capacity.

It’s also not a complete surprise that they’ve opted against a boat ride. Back when first discussing the pace at which Universal Orlando was moving forward with the Dark Universe expansion pad, we noted that it seemed like this project had become the top priority, which made me wonder whether it’s actually a faster build.

It’s nevertheless disappointing to see Universal choose a roller coaster as the first substantive expansion for Epic Universe. The park is already thrill-heavy, and could badly use a high-capacity all-ages dark ride. Instead, it almost seems as if Universal is ceding the young family ground to Walt Disney World, as well as older guests.

Given the growing frequency of multi-generation trips funded by grandparents, this might end up being a mistake. It also could be argued that Universal cannot compete with Disney in this arena, and one dark ride wouldn’t change the equation. As much as I love Epic Universe, it’s a solo destination for me. Sarah has zero desire to return; we’ll wait several more years until our daughter is tall enough for the coasters before taking her.

Taking into account Universal’s realistic guest demographics, an efficient thrill ride might make the most sense to prioritize. A roller coaster inside a big box could be built quicker and cheaper than an elaborate and envelope-pushing dark ride. Given how urgently Epic Universe needs capacity, that’s certainly a win from that perspective.

Speaking of construction, the following recent aerial photos of the Dark Universe expansion are courtesy of bioreconstruct:

Dark Universe New Ride Opening Timeline

Although Universal Orlando has not confirmed an opening year, we can safely rule out 2027. That’s simply too soon, even by Universal standards. However, it is within the realm of possibility that this roller coaster has an outside shot at a 2028 opening.

Hollywood Drift started around this time last year and it’ll almost certainly debut by Summer 2027. Perhaps a third Dark Universe attraction in the second half of 2028 is now the plan?! One thing to note is that indoor coasters do take longer to construct than outdoor roller coasters, given the need to build a show building around the ride.

Conversely, the advantage that the Dark Universe roller coaster has is that it’s being built on an actual expansion pad, so there’s no need for demolition or site redevelopment. This parcel was always intended to be built on as part of the second phase of Epic Universe, which should expedite work.

Sometime before the end of 2028 still feels like a safe prediction for the new Dark Universe roller coaster.

My personal hope is 2029, honestly. As much as I appreciate the faster speed at which Universal builds, I also feel that sometimes there’s a certain, ahem, sloppiness that comes with this. I wish there were a middle ground between Disney’s lethargic project pace and Universal’s breakneck speed, as both have downsides.

Not only that, but I’d strongly prefer a “story-coaster” with Audio Animatronics and show scenes as opposed to a basic thrill ride in the dark. Universal Creative taking the time to get this right, fleshing out the themed design and details, is my strong preference. They’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can do a great job with roller coasters.

The track record with story coasters is more mixed. I certainly do not want this to be Curse of the Werewolf, but indoors. That sounds to me like the modernized, monster equivalent of Crush’s Coaster, and that is not praise. (I’m perhaps the world’s #1 hater of Crush’s Coaster.) This third attraction really needs to be more ambitious, and a worthy counterpart to the exceptional Monsters Unchained.

Third Harry Potter Ride Delayed?

Given the accelerated pace of this project, we also strongly suspect that it’s leapfrogged the third Harry Potter attraction. As you might recall, the first of two major permitted projects for Epic Universe expansion pads was the massive new attraction coming to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.

Late last year, permits were filed that outlined 150,000 square feet of construction (and a 96,000 square feet, two-story show building) for the third Harry Potter attraction in Epic Universe. Along with that, Universal teased Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic expansion on at least three separate occasions, indicating that there would be “more magic” coming to Epic Universe, while emphasizing future plans for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

What’s most interesting about the Ministry of Magic expansion is the lack of visible movement on this plot since the permits were approved over 6 months ago. To my knowledge, nothing has happened at this site, which is a bit surprising and suggests to me that there might be an issue. My understanding was that the ride system and attraction chosen for Harry Potter were specifically picked as they’d be a fast build that could bring indoor capacity online quickly and cheaply.

It’s also worth noting that, when it comes to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Nintendo, Universal has to work with third parties and does not have complete autonomy in what’s built. Dark Universe undoubtedly has the fewest layers of approval within the company, as the classic monsters are essentially dormant in-house IP.

It’s entirely possible that the whole reason that the proposed third Ministry of Magic attraction was appealing to Universal–because it could quickly and cheaply bring indoor capacity online–is why it’s unappealing to that franchise’s rightsholders.

Regardless of how that ends up playing out, we do expect Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic expansion to be next on deck. At this point, we do not necessarily expect it to be the original, strongly-rumored Quidditch or broomstick-themed flying roller coaster, though.

Frankly, I’m just glad that Epic Universe is getting two more indoor attractions. One being a roller coaster and another being a dark ride (whether boat-based or otherwise) would be a good mix; hopefully that’s what Universal has landed on. That will really help round out the ride roster, and make the rain-induced downtime more bearable.

Other Expansion at Universal Orlando

Outside of the Dark Universe expansion, Universal Orlando is only officially building one new attraction at Universal Studios Florida: Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift. Unofficially, there are multiple projects rumored to be in development to replace attractions that have recently closed or will soon. We discussed this at length recently in Universal Orlando Has Only Announced One New Ride, But is Quietly Working on 5 Additional Attractions.

With the Dark Universe project announced, there are now officially 2 new rides, and at least 4 unofficial ones. Suffice to say, a lot is happening around Universal Orlando…even if they won’t tell us about it. There’s a lot in the works at Universal Orlando and the future is bright for Epic Universe, as well as Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

That really just scratches the surface, too. There’s more that falls somewhere between rumor, semi-informed speculation, and wishful thinking. Several other attractions are due for replacement, and entire areas are ripe for redevelopment. Universal also has several other hot properties that they’ll want to feature in the Florida parks.

At the same time, it feels like there will be some near-term growing pains for Universal Orlando. The most recent quarterly results were not so hot, and Comcast’s CFO warned that attendance softness is continuing. On top of that, the company plans to spin-off NBCUniversal, which could have adverse implications for expansion funding.

It is also probably fair to say that Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure need even more help than they’re currently getting, as several areas in both are past their expiration dates. Given that, perhaps Universal will pull a page from Walt Disney World’s recent playbook and slot in some smaller-scale, ‘singles & doubles’ projects for 2028. That would be savvy. Suffice to say, the late 2020s and early 2030s should be an exciting time to be a theme park fan, with both Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World having a lot in the project pipeline!

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Your Thoughts

Thoughts on the new indoor roller coaster coming to Dark Universe at Universal Epic Universe? Disappointed that this isn’t the rumored boat ride, excited about another thrill ride, or just pleased that the park is ramping up capacity and ride count? Should the next attraction, presumably Harry Potter, be family-friendly and indoors? Would you prefer more coasters or dark rides? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!