Updates on Universal Orlando's NEW Rides and Lands

The Universal Orlando Resort had a HUGE 2025, with the openings of the Epic Universe theme park and its three hotels: Stella Nova, Terra Luna, and the Helios Grand. One might think that, between those additions and Universal opening a new kids-oriented resort in Texas and a new major attraction in Hollywood in 2026, the Florida resort might be taking a back seat this year. They’d be wrong.

Universal Orlando

Less than a year after Epic Universe’s opening, the Orlando Resort is already staging an encore, with a massive project at Universal Studios Florida, construction at Islands of Adventure, and even something NEW coming to Epic!

Let’s begin at the resort’s original theme park, Universal Studios Florida, where a massive project is underway at the front of the park. The summer of 2025 saw the closure and quick demolition of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster, with construction on a replacement beginning soon after.

For months, speculation spread like wildfire about the ride’s theme, with everything from Ghostbusters to the long-awaited return of Back to the Future being rumored. However, in January of 2020, Universal confirmed that the coaster would be a clone of Fast and the Furious Hollywood Drift, which is scheduled to open at Universal Hollywood later this year.

©Universal

The attraction, which promises to “put guests in the driver’s seat of the high-speed thrills of Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious universe like never before”, will feature 360-degree drifting and a 170-foot vertical spike that will shoot guests nearly 17 stories in the air. It is scheduled to open in 2027.

The opening of the ride will also lead to the closure of Fast & The Furious: Supercharged, which has set off a new set of rumors about what will be replacing that attraction.

@bioreconstruct via X

Next door at Islands of Adventure, changes are coming to one of the park’s remaining opening day areas. Back in September, Universal Director of Public Relations Kristen Smith said in an emailed statement to the Orlando Business Journal that, “In the coming months, there will be construction activity in Lost Continent as part of site planning to ensure the area is ready for any future developments.”

Several months later, in December, Universal filed a construction permit for work in the area using “special equipment.” The permit lists Intamin Ltd. — the company behind Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and the Jurassic World Velocicoaster, among many other well-known rides — which definitely makes it sound like the project could be a major one.

©Universal

While Universal has yet to confirm what, if any, major addition or retheme is coming to the Lost Continent, rumors abound that it may be one of several intellectual properties, including Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise, Pokémon, or even Wicked.

©Pokémon

Finally, there’s Epic Universe. Expansion has been on the table for the park since the beginning, with expansion pads scattered through the park. Over its first year of operation, several construction permits and trademark filings have hinted at new additions coming quickly. These include:

In November of 2025, Universal filed a construction permit for a 150,000 square foot building, which is larger than a typical backstage warehouse. The permit specified site utilities and foundation work, which suggests this isn’t just infrastructure. While Universal hasn’t confirmed what this building will be, the sheer size alone has people speculating that it could be tied to a future expansion, perhaps between Super Nintendo World and Dark Universe, or near the Wizarding World. Speaking of Potter…
In early 2026, theme park photographer extraordinaire Bioreconstruct shared images of a new construction fence and building materials on-site in Celestial Park. Their location suggests potential work – either to the Wizarding World or of Celestial Park itself – in either the expansion pad behind Stardust Racers or the one next to the Ministry of Magic portal.
A further construction permit was filed for work at the front of the park near Super Nintendo World. This smaller footprint of the building described in this permit – about 40,000 square feet – suggests it’s not for an attraction, but rather for additional retail or dining.
In December of 2025, Universal filed a trademark for “Universal Celestial Goodnight,” complete with a logo that features stars and a crescent moon. Given the name and logo, many have speculated that the title may be in relation to a nighttime show coming to Celestial Park. Currently, Epic Universe does offer a rather low-key nighttime fountain show, but early concept art for the park actually showed fireworks.

©Universal

Despite opening Epic Universe just last year, Universal is not resting on its laurels, as physical construction, construction permits, and trademark filings indicate major things coming to all three of the Orlando Resort’s theme parks. Stay tuned to DFB for more on the resort’s evolution.

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