New Rides at Universal Orlando 2025

Universal Orlando Resort always updates and upgrades its rides and attractions. So, what are the new rides at Universal Orlando Resort for 2025 and beyond?

Whether it is a brand-new attraction, a new themed area, or a brand-new theme park, change has remained constant at Universal Orlando Resort in recent years.

This resource will cover all the announced or anticipated new rides at Universal Orlando Resort. This article has been checked for accuracy for 2025 and updated with all currently available information.

Universal Orlando Resort Overview

Universal Orlando Resort consists of two theme parks, one water park, eight resort hotels, and CityWalk, an entertainment and dining complex. The theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure reside near CityWalk. Volcano Bay, the water park, is located directly next door to Cabana Bay Beach Resort, one of the Universal Orlando Resort hotels. In fact, almost all of Universal Orlando Resort is located in a small area of the city of Orlando.

However, unlike big brother over in Lake Buena Vista, Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort announces new rides, attractions, lands, and anything as late as possible. However, since Universal Orlando Resort resides in the Orlando city limits, all building permits on Universal Orlando Resort property are public records. This fact usually forces Universal Orlando to make some announcements. This helps in the anticipation by theme park fans for upcoming attractions despite Universal Orlando being very silent about forthcoming attractions.

Universal Orlando Resort established a pattern of one new major attraction opening per year. We know, unofficially, this was the intended plan from NBCUniversal/Comcast, owners of Universal Orlando Resort, when they committed to the theme park business. For example, this is a list of significant attractions built at Universal Orlando since 2016:

• 2016 Skull Island: Reign of Kong
• 2017 Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
• 2018 Fast & Furious – Supercharged
• 2019 Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
• 2020 The Bourne Stuntacular
• 2021 Jurassic World Velocicoaster

Universal Orlando might claim the small addition of Universal’s Great Movie Escape, the Back to the Future, and Jurassic World “escape rooms” that opened in 2022 in Universal CityWalk Orlando. However, 2022 was the first year in a while that Universal Orlando did not open a significant attraction in a year.

In addition to Universal Orlando, in the US there is also Universal Studios Hollywood, a new Universal Texas kids park, and a new smaller Universal horror experience coming to Las Vegas.

For the next few years, Universal Orlando guests should expect more than just new attractions over the next few years. They will enjoy entirely new theme park lands.

Epic Universe Coming Soon

This is the biggest news regarding Orlando area theme parks in decades with Universal’s Epic Universe opens May 22, 2025. This brand-new state-of-the-art theme park will change the theme park industry in Florida.

In addition to three new on-site hotels, this theme park will have a “hub” area with shopping, dining, and entertainment. This new theme park will include popular lands like  Universal Classic Monsters, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and How to Train Your Dragon plus Super Nintendo World! 

New Rides in Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida currently doesn't have any new rides announced for 2025 but they recently underwent some changes when DreamWorks Land officially replaced the former KidZone area.

Shrek, Trolls, and Kung Fu Panda are all a part of this new Dreamworks area which has been a hit with families. Younger families now have more areas to explore which combined with the also newer Minions Land, shows an apparent attempt to cut into Walt Disney World’s prime demographic of young families.

Universal Orlando Discount Tickets

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You’ll want to consider the Park-To-Park tickets because they are the only way you are able to experience the Hogwarts Express. Also, with a Park-To-Park ticket, you’ll be able to avoid starting the day in the park with the biggest crowd prediction and then switch over to experience more across both parks.

If you are a member of an organization that may qualify for discount tickets or are interested in the Annual Pass option, you should read our guide to discount Universal Studios Orlando ticket options.

What About at Universal Islands of Adventure?

At this point, we do not expect a significant project to start at Islands of Adventure soon. Universal Islands of Adventure added Hagrid’s’ Magic Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Jurassic World Velocicoaster in recent years.

However, sadly, Universal Islands of Adventure has many formerly used areas that remain unused today. For example, the large theatres of Toon Lagoon Amphitheatre and the former “The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad” show theatre have not been used regularly in many years.

We mention this since the Poseidon’s Fury attraction closed permanently at the Islands of Adventure on May 10. Since way before the Universal and Nintendo partnership, rumors of a Zelda attraction taking over Poseidon’s Fury attraction area floated up often. if this Zelda rumor comes to fruition, the earliest expected time would be 2027.

With this attraction closing, those rumors have increased again. However, so have rumors of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter expanding using that space also. Though either is possible, we do not expect much movement with the former Poseidon’s Fury attraction space while other construction projects take priority.

Want to Know More About Universal Orlando Resort or Walt Disney World?

Does all this talk about new theme park rides and lands cause you to want to visit Universal Orlando Resort or Walt Disney World for your next vacation? At Mickey Visit, we have been creating resources to help Universal and Disney visitors for many years. Our staff of writers continues to produce timely and helpful information for your Disney vacation. If you have not, consider signing up for our free newsletter. Also, we placed some more resources below to help you with your Disney planning. Happy planning!

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