Enter the X-Sector and be subjected to The Ministry of Joy’s unrelenting experiments, all with the main objective of turning you into a smiling advocate.
Food & Drink
- Just Chicken
- Donut Factory
- Coca Cola Freestyle
- Earl’s Crossroads
Shops
- Buy The Smiler
Fun & Games
- Challenge The Smiler
- The Games Bunker
- Golf Challenge
- X-Cite Arcade
Facilities
- Toilets – found just outside area entrance, below top of The Smiler’s lift hills
- Lockers – located up from Oblivion’s entrance
The area is home to two world first rollercoasters; with Oblivion’s imposing world’s first vertical drop, and the world beating 14 inversions of The Smiler. Over the years many thousands of people have plucked up the courage to brave Oblivion… and just as many people have chickened out, but how many will be willing to face The Ministry of Joy’s latest creation?
Oblivion towers over all at the centre of X-Sector, with its vertical drop down into the unknown. It’s been said that some of the ride vehicles haven’t emerged from the other side, so only the bravest guests should strap themselves in to face the drop. However, when the time does come to drop into Oblivion it’s advisable that guests don’t look down…
With the sounds of The Smiler blaring out across X-Sector, along with its unmissable 14 inversions, The Ministry of Joy’s latest creation is equally as imposing. Those guests who are feeling a little down can take a seat in one of the ride’s trains, take a ride on The Smiler and walk off a happy smiling advocate.
If you need refreshment after all your exertions, at the centre of the area is the iconic Re-Hydrator, which sits alongside Oblivion’s pit. Upon heading towards the Towers you will also find the Just Chicken restaurant as well as the X-Cite arcade and X-Pose, Oblivion’s photo kiosk. Alternatively, enter Buy The Smiler where you can purchase merchandise and your ride photo, or play Challenge The Smiler which is situated outside the shop, at the bottom of X-Sector.
The Smiler
Suffering from the aches and pains of everyday life? Then it’s time to turn your frown upside down. Standing in X-Sector, over 3000ft of tangled track, five mind manipulations and fourteen incredible inversions will be sure to convert you into a smiling advocate!
Oblivion
The gateway to the state of being forgotten, this rollercoaster intimidatingly towers over X-Sector. The slow and steep climb to the top creates tension like no other, then one sheer drop later and you will be at the mercy of the world’s first vertical drop rollercoaster.
X-Sector was initially known as Ingestre Centre and originally its only rides were the Pirate Ship and Cine 2000 along with Dinosaur World, where guests could come face to face with many prehistoric beasts. In 1984 the area became Fantasy World when the Black Hole was installed, replacing the model dinosaurs, which were moved to the Log Flume site. Turbo Star and Gravitron were installed in the area in the 1980s but were later removed.
In 1997 something big was happening in Fantasy World, all of the rides apart from the Black Hole were removed and construction started on Oblivion – The world’s first vertical drop roller coaster! Enterprise and Energizer were installed in 1998, transforming Fantasy World into X-Sector. In 2001 Energizer was moved to what was then Ug Land, to then leave the park in late 2004, allowing Submission to open in its place.
After Black Hole’s closure in 2005, and removal in 2007, the empty tent that was left behind was finally dismantled at the start of the 2012 season in order to make way for SW7 – The Smiler! Ahead of the 2014 season, it was announced that Submission would be leaving the park, having been operating with only one arm for several years, although the specific reasons behind its removal remain unknown.
In 2021, the former site of Submission was temporarily home to Mixtape – a member of The Retro Squad, a collection of pop-up flat rides. Although The Retro Squad returned for the 2022 season, Mixtape was replaced by Spinjam, a Tivoli Extreme.
2021 would also be the final year of operation for Enterprise, with it remaining out of operation and partially dismantled throughout 2022. The Resort confirmed in October 2022 via a reply on Twitter that the ride was ‘not at our resort anymore’. Over the course of the 2022/23 closed season, Enterprise was fully removed from X-Sector, bringing to an end its life at Alton Towers of almost 40 years.
Past Areas
Springfield Centre
Fantasy World
