Which is scarier, the Slingshot or the GX-5 Extreme Swing?

Most riders say the Slingshot, because the launch is instant and you hit 3 to 5Gs going up. The GX-5 builds dread differently: you get winched up to 40 metres, then dropped. If anticipation is what gets you, the GX-5 might actually feel worse.

How much do the rides cost?

Both the Slingshot and the GX-5 Extreme Swing cost SGD 45 for adults and SGD 35 for youths under 18. The Scream Combo covers both rides for SGD 70 (adults) or SGD 60 (youths).

Can I ride the Slingshot alone?

Yes, solo riders are welcome on the Slingshot as long as they weigh at least 60kg. Under that, bring a friend and ride as a pair.

How many people can ride the GX-5 at once?

The GX-5 Extreme Swing takes 2 to 5 riders per launch, which is why groups usually pick it. Riders need to be at least 12 years old.

Is there real bungee jumping at Clarke Quay?

There is no jump-off-a-platform bungee in Singapore. The Slingshot is a reverse bungee: instead of falling, you are launched about 70 metres upward at 160km/h. Same adrenaline, opposite direction.

What are the opening hours?

Sunday to Thursday from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM, and Friday to Saturday from 5:30 PM to 1:30 AM. Walk-ups are welcome, but arriving before 7 PM usually means shorter queues.

Slingshot or GX-5 Extreme Swing? How to Pick Your Ride

By Slingshot Singapore

Two rides sit side by side at Clarke Quay. One catapults you 70 metres into the sky. The other winches you up 40 metres, holds you there, then lets go. Choosing between them is the most common question we hear at the gate.

The short answer: pick the Slingshot if you want the hardest hit of adrenaline in Singapore, a 160km/h launch at 3 to 5Gs. Pick the GX-5 Extreme Swing if you are riding as a group of up to 5, or if a freefall-and-swing sounds better than a straight-up launch. Can't decide? The Scream Combo covers both.

Both rides cost the same (SGD 45 adult, SGD 35 youth), run the same hours, and launch from the same spot at 3E River Valley Road. The differences are everything else.

The head-to-head

	Slingshot	GX-5 Extreme Swing
What happens	Launched ~70m upward	40m freefall into a giant swing
Top speed	160km/h	Over 120km/h
G-force	3 to 5Gs	Sudden drop, then swing momentum
Riders per launch	2 (or solo, min 60kg)	2 to 5
Requirements	Above 125cm tall	Minimum age 12
Price	SGD 45 adult / SGD 35 youth	SGD 45 adult / SGD 35 youth
Best for	Couples, thrill chasers, first dates you want remembered	Groups of friends, birthday crews, colleagues

What the Slingshot actually feels like

There is no countdown you can trust. The capsule sits at ground level, the tension builds in the cables, and then you are gone, 0 to 160km/h, straight up. Riders pull 3 to 5Gs on the way out. That is more than most fighter pilots feel on a routine climb.

At the top, roughly 70 metres above the Singapore River, everything goes quiet for a second. You get a full panorama: Marina Bay, the CBD towers, the river bending below you. Then you fall, bounce, and do it again a few more times with progressively less screaming.

The Slingshot has operated at Clarke Quay for over 20 years with a perfect safety record. It is also the closest thing Singapore has to bungee jumping, just inverted: a launch that throws you up instead of letting you drop.

Ride it if: you want the biggest single hit of adrenaline available in the city. Skip it if: you hate acceleration. There is no easing into this one.

What the GX-5 actually feels like

The GX-5 is slower psychological torture. You and up to four friends get winched backwards and upwards to 40 metres, facing down. The winch clicks. You hang there just long enough to regret your decisions. Then the release: a freefall that snaps into a massive arc over the riverfront at over 120km/h.

The swing is the difference. Where the Slingshot is one violent vertical event, the GX-5 gives you several long pendulum sweeps, each one a little gentler, with the whole of Clarke Quay tilting underneath you.

Because it seats up to 5, this is the ride groups fight over. Watching your most confident friend go silent during the winch-up is, frankly, part of the ticket price.

Ride it if: you are a group, or the idea of a drop appeals more than a launch. Skip it if: anticipation is your enemy. That winch is slow on purpose.

Or stop choosing and do both

The Scream Combo bundles both rides for SGD 70 (adults) or SGD 60 (youths), saving SGD 20 against booking separately. Most combo riders do the GX-5 first and finish on the Slingshot, ending on the bigger hit.

If you are organising something larger, a birthday, a stag night, or an office outing that needs to beat last year's escape room, group sessions run through our team building page.

When to come

Singapore drew 16.9 million international visitors in 2025, a record year according to the Singapore Tourism Board's February 2026 figures, and plenty of them end up at Clarke Quay after dark. Friday and Saturday nights are the peak, with rides running until 1:30 AM.

For shorter queues, come on a weeknight before 7 PM. The rides open at 4:30 PM Sunday to Thursday, and each launch takes slightly more than a minute, so even a tight evening fits one ride plus dinner by the river.

One practical note: both rides are weather-dependent. Launching people 70 metres into a thunderstorm is not on the menu, so if the sky opens, operations pause until it clears. Check the evening forecast before you make it the centrepiece of a big night.

First-timer tips, from people who watch first-timers all night

Empty your pockets properly. Phones, coins, hairpins, everything. The number one cause of pre-launch delays is someone discovering a phone in a back pocket at the last second. Loose items and the Slingshot do not mix, and hijab pins and brooches are not permitted during the ride.

Eat after, not before. Clarke Quay has an entire riverside of restaurants for the celebration meal. Trust us on the ordering.

Buy the video. Every ride is filmed, and your face during the first second of launch is a document you will want. Riders who skip it regret it by the time they reach the bottom of the stairs.

And if you are choosing for a nervous friend: the Slingshot is over faster, the GX-5 is gentler after the initial drop. Either way, they have been launching riders here for more than 20 years without incident. The fear is the product. The safety record is the reassurance.