Dancing Through Time: The Just Dance Legacy is what I would call the newest addition to the Just Dance family, but I’m not writing a Just Dance biography here. Since its debut, the Just Dance franchise has carved out a comfortable niche in the rhythm-game space: accessible, colorful, and endlessly replayable. What began as a party staple for friends and families has, over time, evolved into a hybrid of streaming catalog, choreographic showcase, and (increasingly) social dance platform. In my earlier review (for Just Dance 2025), I pointed out how Ubisoft had shifted from treating each annual release as a standalone package to essentially layering new content over a persistent, evolving core. That architecture change laid the groundwork for what Just Dance 2026 is trying to do: strike a balance between continuity and freshness, while maintaining the charm that has always made the series a go-to at birthday parties, living rooms, and casual gaming sessions.
For this review, I’ll first highlight the new songs and how they deliver, and then we’ll dive into a more focused view of the visual and coaching changes. Oh, and for those wondering, yes, we also tested it in a live family party setting, and finally gave a verdict on whether this edition earns its “2026” badge.
New Tracks: A Banger-Filled Playlist
One of the areas where Just Dance 2026 absolutely delivers is in its song selection. This year’s lineup leans heavily into “sure bets” — you get a mix of modern chart hits, viral earworms, and nostalgic throwbacks — a formula that works brilliantly in a party context.
APT. — ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
Counting Stars — OneRepublic
All Star — Smash Mouth
Houdini — Dua Lipa
Hung Up — Madonna
Don Raja — Su Real & Distort
Viva La Vida — Coldplay
Feather — Sabrina Carpenter
Born to Be Alive — Patrick Hernandez (not by the Village People, although the internet claims it is).
DRIP — BABYMONSTER
Abracadabra — Lady Gaga
Big Bad Frog — Austin and Colin
Thrift Shop — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (ft. Wanz)
Good Luck, Babe! — Chappell Roan
Moonlight — Aileen-O
Good Girls — Humphrey Dennis (ft. Zanillya Farrell)
Girls Just Want To Have Fun — Cyndi Lauper
Chichika — MariaDennis (ft. METAMAMI)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart — Elton John & Kiki Dee
Cry Baby — Melanie Martinez
Strangers — Sigrid
La Bamba — Los Lobos
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree — Brenda Lee
Zombieboy — Lady Gaga
We Just Begun — Stush & WOST (VE)
Pop Muzik — M (Robin Scott)
Prehistorock — Ricky Stone
Kitipo — Dixson Waz & La Tukiti (ft. Amenazandel)
Dance Mode — Bluey (Show)
Say Cheese — Paul Russell
I Had Some Help — Post Malone (ft. Morgan Wallen)
Louder — Don Elektron & Derek
Spin Your Love — Kevin J Simon
Anxiety — Doechii
Messy — Lola Young
It’s ok I’m ok — Tate McRae
Azizam — Ed Sheeran
Show Me What You Got — Boomborg
Love Again — Dua Lipa
ソクス (Sokusu) — ReniReni
What impresses is how many of those feel like bangers — not just filler tracks. The mix includes tunes that kids will recognize (thanks to their parents, streaming playlists, TikTok, etc.), and songs that will make parents or older players smile with familiarity. It’s the sort of playlist that ensures when the game is running in a social setting, there’s rarely a lull or awkward moment. Compared to Just Dance 2025, where I commented favorably on the choice of megahits (e.g., Ariana Grande, Green Day, etc.), 2026 feels like it’s dialing that up rather than dialing it back. The curation here errs on the side of “safe crowd-pleasers,” which is wise for a family- and kid-friendly party game.
In short: Just Dance 2026 doesn’t play it safe, it leans into what the series does best: delivering moments you instantly want to replay.
A fresh coat of paint
Visually, Just Dance 2026 retains the bright, stylized aesthetic that fans expect, but introduces a few tweaks that give it renewed polish. The backgrounds are more dynamic, with layered depth and subtle parallax effects that lend a sense of motion even when the dancers are idle. Color schemes feel more boldly contrasted, neon accents pop more, shadows are sharper, and transitions between menus are smoother and more fluid.
One of the more notable changes is in the coach roster and its visual design. The range of dance coaches is broader this time, covering different body types, ages, and stylistic costumes; something I’d hoped Ubisoft would gradually do more of. In addition, in many tracks you can now pick from alternate coaches whose choreography (or at least choreographic complexity) changes subtly — so a “standard coach” might offer you a moderate difficulty, while a “premium” coach for the same song pushes you harder. This helps tailor experiences more effectively across skill levels.
Compared to Just Dance 2025, when I praised the in-game models as “stunning” and applauded Ubisoft for improving their visuals and thematic packs, Just Dance 2026 feels like a logical evolution rather than a visual revolution. The improvements are meaningful: nothing feels clunky or outdated, and the dance animations in particular feel a bit more expressive and less robotic than in earlier eras.
Dancing with (ten) kids: a birthday party report
Now to the fun part: I tested Just Dance 2026 in a real-world environment, my eldest daughter’s sixth birthday party. We had about ten kids (ages 4 through 7) plus a few adults gathered in our living room. Here’s how it went down: I set up the console with sensors and a large screen, queued up 2026, and let the kids pick among “kid-friendly” tracks first. Right away, 2026’s stro ngsong mix paid dividends: tunes that felt familiar got gasps, “yes, this one!” declarations, and instant movement from most of the kids, even those a little shy.
Thanks to the more generous choreography layering (easy / standard / “party hard”) through coach choice, children with less coordination weren’t left behind; they could follow simplified moves coached by the easier avatars. Meanwhile, more confident dancers opted for the harder coach and visibly enjoyed the challenge. The variance in difficulty was especially helpful: it kept frustration low and engagement high.
We ran through about ten songs in a row. At a few points, when younger kids lagged, I switched to some nostalgic throwback tunes mid-round, and even the adults joined in. Overall, 2026 held attention well — no moment of boredom or “let’s do something else” until well after the fifth rotation of favorites. One charming moment: my six-year-old insisted we “dance the loud one again” she meant one of 2026’s new high-energy tracks, and the kids formed a little conga line to dance around the room. Allround fun!
Conclusion:
So to conclude! Just Dance 2026 is not a radical reinvention of the series, but it doesn’t need to be. What it offers is a refined, confident iteration; one that leans into the franchise’s strengths while smoothing over several rough edges. It’s a robust, crowd-pleasing song list full of bangers, filled with improved visuals and more expressive coaches. And due to the alternate coach choices, there is overall better choreography.
If I were to rate it compared to Just Dance 2025, I’d say 2026 justifies the upgrade for anyone who uses the game socially or with children (birthday parties, family gatherings, etc.). If you’re more of a solo virtuoso dancing for score, the gains are less dramatic but still worthwhile. All things considered, Just Dance 2026 remains a quintessential party game accessible yet rewarding, familiar but refreshed, and still capable of turning your living room into a dance floor. If your goal is fun, engagement, and a playlist that keeps people moving, this edition is a worthy move. The future for Just Dance is a bright one, that’s for sure.
