Following last year’s reboot of the franchise, Ubisoft’s Just Dance has transitioned to a live service platform. This renders the annual retail releases as essentially little more than new song expansions.
Therefore, Just Dance 2024 Edition doesn’t easily lend itself to a traditional ‘new game review’. Instead, depending on the sort of person you are, here’s my advice as to whether you should consider picking up Just Dance 2024 Edition.
As of October 2024, we’ve published our review of Just Dance 2025.
Click the link for the latest: Just Dance 2025 Edition: Should You Buy It?
Either read on or choose your own adventure…
It’s available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. I played Just Dance 2024 Edition on Nintendo Switch.
READ MORE: Review | Mail Time (PS5)
‘I’ve never played a Just Dance game before.‘
Now that it’s reached the second year of this ongoing platform system, there’s maybe never been a better place to start your Just Dance journey.
The Just Dance games involve you picking up a motion control device (typically your mobile phone, but Switch players can, and I’d suggest should, use a Joy-con) and following along with dance routines as they play out on screen.
READ MORE: Everybody 1-2-Switch ‘It’s pretty special’
Given that the game is essentially only tracking one hand while you play, it’s not exactly the most hardcore dance simulator imaginable. But this fits the general vibe of the entire series.
No part of this game takes itself overly seriously.
This is less of a title for people who obsess over video games and more something for people who want to dance the night away in a breezy, comfortable setting. And if you’re the sort of person who throws a lot of parties, Just Dance is basically a surefire hit no matter what sort of crowd you have over.
‘I bought last year’s Just Dance, should I buy this year’s?’
The thing is last year’s game… sort of is this year’s game.
From Just Dance 2023 Edition onwards, these releases will grant access to the ongoing Just Dance platform and each package is essentially a new set of songs for your collection. You’ll have access to every song you’ve bought to date and can play online with players who own either this year’s or last year’s entry.
To emphasise how much this is a live service game, you can only purchase a digital code for it. Even if you pick up a retail copy from a physical store, it’s just a box with a code inside.
Therefore, if you own 2023 Edition, I’d only suggest picking up this one if you love the track list for Just Dance 2024 Edition.
My standout bangers would be “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston, “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai and the undisputed best song of 2023, “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo.
Whether these new songs are worth your money is obviously going to come down to personal preference.
Oh, and there’s also a follow-up to 2023 Edition’s story mode, but I’m going to say right now, Just Dance is not a series you should be playing for the story.
‘I haven’t played for a few years, should I jump back in?‘
When Just Dance 2023 Edition re-launched the series, it was missing some core features. By virtue of now being a constantly updated platform, things like the recently added Workout Mode, which tracks your calorie burn and time spent dancing, have worked to make Just Dance 2024 Edition feel more familiar to players of the older games.
Compared with pre-2023 Edition games, the menu system has been refreshed with a new look, reminiscent of a modern video streaming service like YouTube or Netflix.
But this new design does come with caveats, such as occasionally ending up on options you didn’t mean to choose, generally slow cursor movement, and sometimes assets just never load correctly. Hopefully, with more time, these issues can be fixed up to make the user experience more enjoyable.
You can also try and conquer online leaderboards on the forty new songs in this game, some of which feature additional alternate routines. And once you get sick of this year’s songs, you can pick up a copy of 2023 Edition on the cheap now to add forty extra songs into your game, or buy a month of the Just Dance+ subscription and boost your song library with over two hundred more songs.
‘I love the Just Dance series and I buy every entry!’
I…. I’m not sure why you’re reading this article then? But it’s hard for me to imagine somebody who has enjoyed previous Just Dance games to not be pleased with the offering this year.
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‘I’m interested, but I’ll be playing entirely solo.’
I think you’ll have a good time, but you’ll be depriving yourself of a lot of the fun.
The Just Dance games thrive in a multiplayer setting, whether it’s embarrassing yourself in front of your family or giving people something to clumsily do at a party.
Furthermore, there’s a decent amount of routines in the game that are designed for two or more dancers, so you’ll be missing out on part of the experience by going for it alone.
That said, there’s still plenty to offer if you’re a solo player. Online play means you can collaborate with other players, with support for cross-play across all available platforms. Also, you can try the recently added Challenge Mode, which lets you pick a specific score set by a friend or anybody on the leaderboard and try to defeat them, which adds a competitive edge to your singular experience.
And there’s enough songs on offer that if you just want an outlet to dance in the privacy of your own home, you’ll be satisfied for hours.
‘My kids really want to play Just Dance.‘
The Just Dance series has always made a concerted effort to be family-friendly. The vibrant, colourful presentation is tailor-made for a young audience.
I mentioned earlier that there isn’t much appeal in the story mode, but I’d assume it’s likely the sort of thing that kids could really get into, with characters carrying across from last year’s entry.
And while there may be some mild language or innuendo in a few of the songs, they’ve generally been really good about using radio edits and censoring any adult language in these games (although even with the edits, “Kill Bill” by SZA feels like it’s potentially crossing a line here…)
‘These games look terrible, I think I’ll hate this!‘
You’re right, you absolutely will hate it.
Just Dance is not a series made for traditional gamers. After all, it first started on the Wii and was definitely targeting the extremely casual audience that made that console such a hit.
I think anybody would know going in whether Just Dance 2024 Edition is going to be a game that they’re not going to enjoy and if you’re that person, stay far away. I don’t think this will be the entry to convert you.
‘But… What if I’m a terrible dancer?‘
So am I! Just embrace the music and let the haters hate.
Quest Daily was provided early access to Just Dance 2024 Edition for the purpose of this article.
