Ive been playing Just Dance for years, and camera controls make 2026 Edition the strongest entry yet

Date:
Mon, 20 Oct 2025 16:47:53 +0000

Description:
Just Dance 2026 Edition is an innovative and exciting entry in the long-running dance party series.

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Theres always been one big problem with Ubisofts flagship dance party series since it made the jump to modern platforms. Without the motion sensing capabilities of the Kinect, Wii Remote , or PlayStation Move controller, its just been a pain to control. Review info Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch
Release date: October 14, 2025

Sure, those playing on Nintendo Switch have benefitted from the option to use a single Joy-Con in one hand, but if you were on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and Series S youd have to rely on awkwardly waving your phone around with the Just Dance Controller mobile app open on screen. The results werent particularly accurate or reliable, making chasing high scores far more
awkward than it ever shouldve been.

With Just Dance 2026 Edition , however, it feels like the series has once again found its footing. This annual expansion introduces camera scoring letting you simply prop up your phone to record your actions and its
something of a revelation.

Pair this brilliant feature with a fantastically varied song selection that contains some of the most visually stunning music videos yet, heaps of content, and a neat new mode, and you have by far the best instalment in years. Break it down (Image credit: Ubisoft)

If youve played a Just Dance game before, then you know the basic thrust
here.

You pick a song from a selection and a stylized music video begins on screen. Your goal is simple, match the moves of the on-screen dancers as closely as possible - racking up points for every successful move as you go. Your score is then added to a leaderboard, measured against your previous attempts, or those of other players if you prefer. Its a simple but effective formula, especially when you factor in the countless cosmetic unlocks awarded for hitting various goals and used to decorate your online profile.

Well-implemented local co-op makes it a great pick for livening up parties
for up to four friends, while solo players can use an on-screen calorie counter to turn their dance into a workout. These arent entirely new features as Just Dance 2026 Edition is the fourth entry since the series made the transition to more a live service model, releasing as song packs alongside meaty updates rather than entirely new games, but theres still a lot thats
new and exciting here for returning fans to enjoy.

The big new inclusion is the camera scoring system, which has been added to the existing Just Dance Controller mobile app. Whenever you start a
compatible song youre asked whether you want to play with the old motion scoring, or camera scoring. If you select camera scoring youre instructed to prop up your phone on a surface a few meters away from your play space and line yourself up with an on-screen silhouette. (Image credit: Ubisoft)

I normally play in the very compact area around my desk, so I was a little sceptical that I would have enough room but I was thankfully proven wrong. Propping the phone up on my bookshelf, it detected me immediately and never lost track of where I was. Playing without the weight of a phone in your hand is liberating and makes it so much easier to follow the choreography.
Worrying about accidentally catapulting your pricey device out the nearest window every time a move has you swing your arms is finally a thing of the past.

Better still, if you already own Just Dance 2025 Edition youll be able to
play all of those songs with this new control mode, giving you a fantastic excuse to revisit them. The only minor letdown here is that you can only use camera scoring when youre playing alone. This is presumably some technical limitation and not a huge dealbreaker, but is worth bearing in mind if you were planning to pick up the game just for co-op play.

It can also be a little bit tricky to keep your phone stable. I reliably managed it with some books, but you might want to invest in a cheap phone stand if you intend to set it up directly in front of your screen. Backing track (Image credit: Ubisoft)

It wouldnt be a new Just Dance edition without a heap of fresh songs to play, and this year's entry doesnt disappoint. Your enjoyment of any line-up is always going to come down to personal preference, but I found the 40 or so tracks this year to be fantastically varied.

Where previous years have been dominated by one or two big artists or themes, 2026 Edition has everything from recent hits like Chappell Roans Good Luck, Babe! and Sabrina Carpenters Feather to long-awaited party titans like Smash Mouths All Star.

K-pop fans can feast on Babymonsters Drip while TikTok addicts will have plenty of fun with viral sensations like Doechiis Anxiety. Just Dance titles also offer their own original songs which for the last few installments have basically boiled down to generic pop with slightly cringeworthy lyrics. One
of this years however, the cutesy Sokusu, is genuinely very catchy with an easy to learn but hard to master dance that has you hopping across the
screen. Best bit (Image credit: Ubisoft) Its hard to pin down a favorite aesthetic in Just Dance 2026 Edition s strong selection of music videos, but the especially bright primary colors of Sokusu look absolutely sublime on a big screen.

Each track is accompanied by a gorgeous music video which all stand apart as some of the most attractive and complex that the series has had yet. They
look stunning with a wide range of colorful visuals and themes. Some also break away from the conventional Just Dance aesthetic in innovative and interesting ways. Take this years inevitable kids song inclusion, a Bluey-inspired medley thats animated exactly like the hit childrens TV show
or the spooky claymation style of Born to Be Alive (Reborn Version).

A few songs have engaging alternate versions too, whether thats relaxed drag show performances or intense sports routines designed to test your fitness.

If all of this somehow isnt enough, you can add to your library by picking up previous Edition releases (which are available pretty cheaply now) or subscribing to Just Dance Plus to stream hundreds and hundreds of songs taken from across the series.

All versions of Just Dance 2026 Edition include memberships of varying length (which you can activate at any time from an in-game menu) and it only costs $24.99 / 19.99 to add on a whole year - a very reasonable price for what you get.

Personal highlights for me include the energetic Love Ward from Just Dance 2018 and the utterly ridiculous Angry Birds Balkan Blast Remix. The only
thing that could possibly make it better would be if some of the best tracks from the more obscure entries came over.

Wheres Koda Kumis Cutie Honey from the Japan-exclusive Just Dance Wii , Ubisoft? Lab rats (Image credit: Ubisoft)

Just Dance games rarely ship without some kind of new mode, and Just Dance 2026 Edition is no exception. This year you get a new co-op Party Mode themed around a mad scientists lab. It lets you play any of your owned songs in
short bursts with weird visual effects overlayed on top.

This could involve an animated dinosaur appearing on screen and blocking your dancer from view to being forced to clap for points.

The effects themselves are amusing but not particularly game changing, though the fact that the mode can draw from your entire song library is great. If youre playing with a Just Dance Plus subscription then theres a strong chance that you haven't played whatever comes up before, forcing you to adapt not only to the special challenges but an unfamiliar routine.

Its a great way to find new songs to play, and I've picked up a few new favorites that would have otherwise been completely overlooked given the
sheer size of the roster.

It also helps avoid the struggle to pick which song to play when youre joined by friends, leading to a much more frictionless experience and helping everyone get straight to the dancing rather than faffing around in menus.

I can't think what else you could possibly want from a dance party game. Should I play Just Dance 2026 Edition? Play it if

Youre after a brilliant party game
Just Dance has always been a lot of fun at social gatherings, but the
quality of this new entry makes it one of the most enjoyable yet. Pick it up if youre after something to whip out at your next party.

Youre sick of holding your phone
If the awkward mobile phone motion controls of recent Just Dance games have been a big turn off, then you need to pick up Just Dance 2026 Edition .
Camera controls are fantastic and make for the easiest to control entry in years. Dont play it if

You're not big on the track list
Theres no point picking up a Just Dance game if the song list just doesnt appeal to you. I personally love it and think that it will have pretty broad appeal, but still remember to check out what it includes via the Ubisoft website before you buy. Accessibility features

There is unfortunately no dedicated accessibility menu in Just Dance 2026 Edition . The game supports scoring via both holding your phone in your hands or using its camera but each method requires a substantial range of motion across your whole body. The user interface can be tweaked somewhat, for example disabling visual score feedback or song lyrics. How I reviewed Just Dance 2026 Edition

I played almost 10 hours of Just Dance 2026 Edition on PlayStation 5. For the controls, I relied on my Porsche Design Honor Magic 7 RSR Android phone using the official Just Dance Controller mobile app.

During that time I played the songs that appealed to me from the overall line-up, chasing high-scores in both motion control and camera control modes. I compared my experience to my hands-on testing of previous Just Dance games on a wide range of platforms including Just Dance VR .

First reviewed October 2025



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/just-dance-2026-edition-review


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