Just Dance 2023 Edition


Just Dance 2023 Edition is a 2022 dance rhythm game developed and published by Ubisoft. It was unveiled on September 10, 2022 during the Ubisoft Forward September 2022 web presentation as the fourteenth main installment of the series. It marks a new release form for the series, switching to a live service format with annual downloadable content song packs. The game was released on November 22, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It was also planned for release on Stadia, but that port of the game was cancelled due to the service's shutdown on January 18, 2023.

Gameplay

As with the previous installments of the franchise, players must mimic the on-screen coach’s choreography to a chosen song using the game's associated smartphone app. 2023 Edition was not released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, thereby dropping support for Kinect, PlayStation Camera, and PlayStation Move.

Features

The game features an updated and redesigned user interface, which emulates those seen on streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Peacock, all within a single Just Dance hub, serving as the home for the game and future installments of the series. It is also the first Just Dance title to be developed using the Unity engine, as opposed to Ubisoft's in-house UbiArt Framework which had been in use since Just Dance 2014. A new online multiplayer feature is added, where up to six players can join a private group with cross-play support at launch, with the Xbox Series X/S version later being supported. Dancer cards, an in-game tool to express what the player was doing in-game, received a major overhaul, with avatars now being pictures of the coaches instead of their heads, and emotes are added to show how the player feels after each song. Score feedback animations can now be customized and are a toggleable option. Victory celebrations are a new addition, used for when the player finishes the song in single player or wins the song in multiplayer. Cross-progression is a new feature to the Just Dance series, allowing players to progress through multiple consoles. Furthermore, the "Beat Vibrations" function, which has been exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of previous installments, has been added to the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 versions.
On October 9, "Workout Mode", a mode designed for exercise, and "Challenge Mode", an online mode where a player attempts to beat a pre-set higher score from another player, are added as part of the 2024 Edition Celebration Event.

Story mode

2023 Edition includes a story mode-based playlist, a first in the series, titled "Enter the Danceverses". It tells the story of a woman named Sara, who is transported from the real world to a series of worlds collectively known as the "Danceverses" by a man named Wanderlust. The two must stop the evil witch Night Swan from conquering the Danceverses. They recruit a team of expert dancers—Brezziana, Mihaly and Jack Rose —and defeat Night Swan and her mind-controlled soldiers in a dance battle. The soldiers are freed, but Night Swan escapes. The group celebrates before Wanderlust sends Sara back to the real world.
A follow-up to this story, titled "Dance with the Swan", is part of 2024 Edition.

Soundtrack

The following songs appear on Just Dance 2023 Edition:
SongArtistYear
"Anything I Do"CLiQ featuring Ms Banks and Alika2018
"As It Was"Harry Styles2022
"Boy with Luv"BTS featuring Halsey2019
"Bring Me to Life"Evanescence2003
"Can't Stop the Feeling!"Justin Timberlake2016
"Danger! High Voltage"Electric Six2002
"Disco Inferno"The Trammps1976
"Drivers License"Olivia Rodrigo2021
"Dynamite"BTS2020
"Good Ones"Charli XCX2021
"Heat Waves"Glass Animals2020
"I Knew You Were Trouble "Taylor Swift2021
"If You Wanna Party"The Just Dancers2022
"Jamais Lâcher"Michou2022
"Locked Out of Heaven"Bruno Mars2012
"Love Me Land"Zara Larsson2020
"Magic"Kylie Minogue2020
"Majesty"Apashe featuring Wasiu2018
"Million Dollar Baby"Ava Max2022
"More"K/DA featuring Madison Beer, I-dle, Lexie Liu, Jaira Burns and Seraphine2020
"Numb"Linkin Park2003
"Physical"Dua Lipa2020
"Playground"Bea Miller2021
"Psycho"Red Velvet2019
"Radioactive"Imagine Dragons2012
"Rather Be"Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne2014
"Sissy That Walk"RuPaul2014
"Stay"The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber2021
"Sweet but Psycho"Ava Max2018
"Telephone"Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé2010
"Therefore I Am"Billie Eilish2020
"Top of the World"Shawn Mendes2022
"Toxic"Britney Spears2004
"Walking on Sunshine"Top Culture 1985
"Wannabe"Itzy2020
"Watch Out for This "Major Lazer featuring Busy Signal, The Flexican and FS Green2013
"We Don't Talk About Bruno"Cast of Disney's Encanto2021
"Witch"Apashe featuring Alina Pash2021
"Woman"Doja Cat2021
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"The Sunlight Shakers 1966
"Zooby Doo"Tigermonkey2016

''Just Dance+''

Just Dance+ is a new subscription service launched alongside 2023 Edition. Similar to Just Dance Unlimited from the previous seven games, it offers subscription-based access to a streaming library of songs from previous Just Dance games alongside new exclusive tracks. Songs ported from previous Just Dance games, as well as songs exclusive to the service, are added through frequent updates.
Songs exclusive to the service include:
SongArtistYearRelease date
"Farfalle"Sangiovanni2022January 6, 2023
"Ubu Love"Naniwa Danshi2021January 6, 2023
"Woman" Doja Cat2021January 12, 2023
"Vleugels"K32022January 12, 2023
"Stay" The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber2021January 19, 2023
"ABC "Gayle2021February 27, 2023
"Thank U, Next"Ariana Grande2018March 9, 2023
"Wet Tennis"Sofi Tukker2022March 16, 2023
"Provenza"Karol G2022March 30, 2023
"About Damn Time"Lizzo2022April 6, 2023
"SloMo"Chanel2022May 9, 2023
"Give That Wolf a Banana"Subwoolfer2022May 17, 2023
"Euphoria"Loreen2012May 25, 2023
"Beggin'"Måneskin2017June 15, 2023
"Trenulețul"Zdob și Zdub and Advahov Brothers2021June 22, 2023
"Dare to Live"Trady2021June 29, 2023
"Sunroof"Nicky Youre and Dazy2021July 20, 2023
"Bloody Mary"Lady Gaga2011July 27, 2023
"Miraculous"Lou and Lenni-Kim2017August 10, 2023
"Sacrifice"The Weeknd2022August 17, 2023
"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"Usher2010August 24, 2023

Controversy

On March 20, 2023, a union claimed that ten percent of Ubisoft's employees experienced burnouts and work stoppages every four weeks during the production of ''Just Dance 2023 Edition.''

Reception

Just Dance 2023 Edition received "generally favorable reviews", according to Metacritic.

Awards and nominations

Future

In an interview with JB Hi-Fi in November 2022, Just Dance brand director Amelie Louvet confirmed that 2023 Edition would be the final annual installment in the main series, with all further content, including new songs, game modes and features, being added to the game through online updates "throughout the months and years following launch". In a later interview with creative director Matthew Tomkinson, he further confirmed that the series will still release yearly installments through annual song packs instead of new games, and players owning 2023 Edition and future Editions can play with each other online. Subsequent song packs include 2024 Edition, released in October 2023; 2025 Edition, released in October 2024; and 2026 Edition, released in October 2025.