Top Gun Vegas finds new home for flight-themed thrill ride and Hard Deck bar
Top Gun Vegas has found a fitting new home for its flight-themed thrill ride and Hard Deck bar, securing a site on the Las Vegas Strip with Harry Reid International Airport as its backdrop.
Advent Allen Entertainment announced that it acquired 2.48 acres at 4815 South Las Vegas Boulevard for the immersive entertainment destination being developed in collaboration with Paramount. The new site replaces a previously announced location at The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower on the northern end of the Strip.
Located just north of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, the undeveloped property fronts Las Vegas Boulevard and backs onto the airport. Developers said the passing aircraft will create a natural aviation backdrop for Top Gun Vegas and complement its planned Hangar 2-inspired architecture.
“This is exactly where Top Gun belongs,” Mark Advent, co-founder of Advent Allen Entertainment, said in the announcement.
Top Gun Vegas moves to the southern Strip
The land sits between the Little Church of the West and the Pinball Hall of Fame, near Russell Road, and a short distance from the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. It is also near the Athletics’ future ballpark, which is under construction at the former Tropicana Las Vegas site, as well as the proposed location of a future NBA arena.
Property records reviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal show that the group purchased the site for $12.5 million in July 2026. The acquisition represents one of the project’s most concrete milestones since Paramount and Advent Allen Entertainment first announced Top Gun Las Vegas in May 2025.
The original plans placed the destination on undeveloped land at The Strat and called for it to open in summer 2028. The latest announcement does not address why the location changed or provide an updated opening timeline.
That omission does not necessarily mean the project has been delayed. For now, it is most accurate to say that Top Gun Vegas was previously announced for 2028, with additional development milestones and scheduling details still to come.
The new location gives the attraction a dramatically different setting. Top Gun Vegas will occupy a standalone site in an expanding sports and entertainment corridor. Its proximity to the airport also gives developers the opportunity to make arriving and departing aircraft part of the destination’s atmosphere.
Advent said the property’s connection to the airport will help create an authenticity that would be difficult to reproduce elsewhere. Bill Allen, co-founder of Advent Allen Entertainment, described securing the land as an important step toward bringing the company’s vision to life.
What is planned for Top Gun Vegas?
The latest announcement confirms that Top Gun Vegas will include immersive attractions, interactive experiences, experiential dining, retail and the Hard Deck restaurant and bar featured in “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Previously announced plans also included fighter jet simulators and a high-performance, flight-themed thrill ride combining cinematic storytelling, precision motion technology and immersive media. German attraction manufacturer Simtec Systems GmbH was named the ride’s engineering and manufacturing partner in November 2025.
At the time, Simtec CEO Andreas Stickel said the company intended to create realistic flight action for what he described as an E-ticket attraction. The experience was announced as part of a multilevel venue with several interactive zones.
The original concept also called for the Hard Deck to feature live piano sing-alongs, allowing guests to recreate some of the camaraderie and musical moments associated with “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Those individual features were not all repeated in the July 2026 land announcement, but the companies have not said they were removed. The flight-themed thrill ride and Hard Deck therefore remain part of the latest previously announced plans as the project transitions to its new location.
No new renderings accompanied the land acquisition announcement. Advent Allen Entertainment said first-look renderings, attraction details and additional elements will be unveiled as development progresses. Previously released concept art may have reflected the former site at The Strat and may not represent the destination’s revised design.
Paramount expands ‘Top Gun’ beyond the screen
Top Gun Vegas is part of Paramount’s continued expansion into location-based entertainment, transforming film and television properties into attractions, restaurants, hotels and other real-world experiences.
Josh Silverman, president of global products and experiences for Paramount, called the site acquisition a significant milestone and said the destination will give fans a new way to experience the excitement and spirit of “Top Gun.”
The original “Top Gun” was released in 1986 and helped establish Tom Cruise as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Its long-awaited sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” arrived in 2022 and earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.
A third movie is also in development, with Cruise expected to return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Jerry Bruckheimer returning as producer. Depending on the attraction’s eventual opening date, the development of another film could create additional momentum for the new Las Vegas destination.
Advent Allen Entertainment previously said it was evaluating additional locations for the concept, including a potential flagship destination in Orlando. The latest announcement focuses solely on Las Vegas and does not provide an update on those expansion plans.
For now, the project has a new flight plan and a site that places aviation at the center of its surroundings. Additional details—including revised renderings, a construction schedule, attraction specifications and an opening timeline—will be announced as Top Gun Vegas moves closer to takeoff.
‘Top Gun’ and theme parks
In November 2025, Advent Allen Entertainment named Simtec Systems GmbH the engineering and manufacturing partner for the planned Top Gun thrill ride. The companies have not announced whether the project’s relocation will affect that partnership.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Simtec Systems and their brilliant team of engineers and designers to bring this extraordinary vision to life,” said Mark Advent, co-founder of Advent Allen Entertainment. “Selecting the right partner for one of Top Gun Las Vegas’ signature attractions was a pivotal decision. Simtec’s unparalleled expertise perfectly complements our mission to create an entertainment experience that pushes boundaries and captivates ride-goers worldwide.”
Theme park fans may remember Top Gun: The Jet Coaster, a thrill ride at Paramount-owned theme parks. Those parks are now owned by Six Flags, with the “Top Gun” theming removed from their respective coasters. At Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C., for instance, the ride is still standing, but renamed Afterburn.
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