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Park Queue TimesPQT

Six Flags Great America
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Universal Studios Hollywood queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Six Flags Great America and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySix Flags Great AmericaUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 27 min24 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2331 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Maxx Force46 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue Chubasco7 minKill-Ceanera - Express5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running79% (best of the two)36%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Six Flags Great America and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowSix Flags Great AmericaUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Universal Studios Hollywood queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Six Flags Great America if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 27 minutes a ride here against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood - for what Six Flags Great America has that Universal Studios Hollywood does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags Great America's rides run 79% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Maxx Force is on your list - it is Six Flags Great America's longest typical queue at about 46 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Great America's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • You want shorter queues: Universal Studios Hollywood averages 24 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 23 at Six Flags Great America
  • Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 57 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Studios Hollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America sits in Gurnee, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee. The coaster line-up includes Maxx Force (with one of the world's fastest inversions), X Flight wing coaster, Goliath (a Rocky Mountain Construction wooden coaster), Raging Bull, American Eagle duelling wooden coaster, and Batman: The Ride. A Hurricane Harbor water park is included during summer.

Illinois and Wisconsin school holidays, Chicago-area weekend visits, and the popular Fright Fest event drive Six Flags Great America's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, June, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Maxx Force and Goliath on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd midweek date for shorter queues.

Six Flags Great America live queue times

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Six Flags Great America or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Six Flags Great America or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Studios Hollywood: it averages about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day against 27 at Six Flags Great America, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Six Flags Great America has 23 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Six Flags Great America also runs its rides more reliably - 79% of opening hours against 36%.

Which has shorter queues, Six Flags Great America or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Universal Studios Hollywood, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Studios Hollywood averages 24 minutes against 27 at Six Flags Great America. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Six Flags Great America best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Six Flags Great America and Universal Studios Hollywood in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Six Flags Great America and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Six Flags Great America bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 23. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Universal Studios Hollywood is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Six Flags Great America calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks