Another year, another Just Dance release. As Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and the yearly Just Dance edition”. If you’ve lived under a rock since 2009, Just Dance is a rhythm motion-based dance game. You can play solo, or with friends and in the 2025 version, you can challenge online players. Each song has its own choreography that you’d mirror, and you’re awarded points based on accuracy.
If you’ve been to PAX Australia, you’ve probably seen people playing it, with a decent crowd watching as people try their hand to hit the right movements. But now that Just Dance is a live service game, along with a subscription service, is it still worth it?
I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot with the Just Dance series. It’s always had this level of accessibility to it that no other dance game has. Just Dance 2020 was the final game in the series to be released on the Wii, a console Nintendo discontinued in 2013. This allowed those without the latest console, and places like Children’s Hospitals, to still play the latest games. Continuing its approachability, Ubisoft Paris paid close attention to difficulty levels, songs and coaches. Just Dance continues to create maps (where the actual gameplay takes place) that you can play while seated. You’re even able to filter which song to play depending on if you need something seated or no bouncing, etc.
Having the ability to still dance to songs while seated was (and sometimes still is) such a massive help when my chronic pain was at its worst. It allows those who might not have the mobility to stand on two feet but still engage with the game and have fun. Could you sit down to any song and pretend to play while moving your hand? Sure. But where’s the fun in that? Including seated maps was such a genius idea, and hopefully they create more. As of writing, Just Dance has 19 seated songs. Which isn’t bad, it’s almost 2 songs per year since starting in 2015. Also, there are three maps where players can choose their own difficulty level. So playing with friends means you can be on a harder difficulty whereas your friend is on the easiest difficulty.
Another form of accessibility that Ubisoft Paris wanted to bring awareness to is ADHD. They collaborated with the Swedish EDM musical group Galantis to bring their song “BANG BANG! (My Neurodivergent Anthem)” to Just Dance. It’s awesome that Ubisoft wanted to bring disability and specifically neurodiversity into the Just Dance series. I never really felt underrepresented in this game because of ADHD. I’d rather be represented by more plus-size coaches, in all honesty. However, in saying that, this song and choreography resonated with fans of the game, and that’s great. Just because something didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean others can’t enjoy it. Besides, there are more songs to play.
One of the major issues while playing the 2025 edition, is the fact that it lags. Other issues coming up while playing are when songs wouldn’t play, or the audio would play, but wouldn’t show a preview of the map. Sometimes it would be a bit of a wait to actually play the game too. This isn’t an issue of being too far from the Wi-Fi router or having terrible Internet. It’s the world we live in, where even your dance rhythm game you’d play with friends after school is now a live service game. It causes more issues, waiting on the servers to load the preview to see if it’s a map you’ll play only to pass on it and feeling like you’ve wasted 1 minute or so.
“Seated routines allow those who might not have the mobility to stand on two feet but still engage with the game and have fun…”
Another issue relating to the lag is that using the menus often feel cumbersome. And it feels weird that a game like this has weird lag and UI issues. This issue never came up in the 2021 and 2020 editions of the game. Honestly, it could be related to the fact that you have to be online and connect your Ubisoft account. Previous games had the option of connecting it, but this time (much like recent Sony games) you have to connect your account.
Considering its “live service” nature, it’s neat that if you’ve bought the previous two titles, and you don’t want to swap the game, you can play the tracks in 2025. However, if you’ve got 2022 or any earlier edition, then you’re out of luck. This is where Just Dance+ comes in. Not only is your dance rhythm game now a live service game but it’s got its own subscription service too! Just Dance+ was once Just Dance Unlimited before their rebranding. It’s nice that if you’re bored with playing the songs featured in the newest edition, there are roughly 400 songs to choose from. You get a free month of Just Dance+ when you buy a new copy to test it out. Unless you’re serious about Just Dance, it’s not worth it to buy a monthly fee.
But, like most subscription services nowadays, songs can be removed. This is due to licensing agreements, unfortunately. But Just Dance does offer song packs, one based on Disney and Pixar films, another that is more kid-friendly songs and lastly, popular pop songs. Songs featured in these packs are also in Just Dance+, so you don’t have to buy the packs. But, if you’re terrified that Ubisoft will remove Zero to Hero, it’s a good idea to grab the song pack, just in case. At the moment, there are only three packs, so it’ll be interesting to see what packs they do next.
A lot of the songs throughout Just Dance’s history are on the pop side. It’s only been pretty recently that they’ve included more K-pop songs that weren’t by Psy. In saying this, it’d be interesting if they ever followed what the popular PlayStation music game series, SingStar, did, where each game was from a specific genre or era, such as 80s, 90s, Rocks! and Queen. Just Dance did have a spinoff game based on the Swedish band ABBA back in 2011. This could be something that they use the music packs for. Especially considering one of the packs is pop songs.
But variety in Just Dance is always good. It’d be awesome to see more songs that are a bit out of the “norm” so to speak. Imagine being able to dance to We Got The Moves by Electric Callboy. Or even their collab with Babymetal titled RATATATA. Hey, 2025 did have Basket Case by Green Day, let a metalhead dream! However, that isn’t to say Just Dance doesn’t feature enjoyable songs. Because really, Just Dance is a game that tries to appeal to everyone. And that’s fine. Seeing In The Shadows by The Rasmus pop up on 2025’s list is such a nostalgia trip. They even have Otonablue by ATARASHII GAKKO! in 2024’s set. Not only that, but the 2025 edition has Vogue by Madonna and a Ballroom version. The Ballroom version features Gigi Revlon from the House of Revlon, a known group that competes in the ballroom scene.
It’s safe to say that there are some great things to see in Just Dance 2025, from accessibility to song choices. But, of course, no game is perfect and Just Dance doesn’t escape this either. The consistent lag becomes frustrating after a while, and needing to restart the game kills the vibe. While there are enough songs that you’ll find something you like, it’d also be nice if Just Dance featured something other than pop.
With all that said, Just Dance 2025, is it worth it? If you’re a hound for the Just Dance series, then you probably already have your 2025 copy; but if you’re a casual fan, having at least one Just Dance game on a modern console isn’t a bad idea. But really, 2025 is the same as last year, the only major difference is that you’re buying a new setlist. If you like a decent amount of the songs, then go for it. Just Dance has been here for fifteen years, why not stay for another fifteen, as a little treat?
About the Author
Missy Taylor
they/them
Missy is a disabled writer on Boon wurrung land, who is obsessed with Garrus Vakarian and Captain America. You can find them talking about the art of Drag and eating Korean and Japanese food.
