Just Dance 2023 - What We Know So Far

Sometimes gaming is about sitting down on the couch and relaxing with a controller in your hands, but other times gaming means getting up and busting out some fancy dance moves. The "Just Dance" franchise has been a leader in this move-busting revolution ever since the first game was released back in 2009. The motion controls available on the Nintendo Wii made the old "DDR" dance pads obsolete, as players didn't need anything other than the controller that came with the console in order to play. "Just Dance 2020" was even released on the Wii three years after the release of the Nintendo Switch, where it outsold the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game in the UK due to the franchise's immense popularity on the console. The year after that, "Just Dance 2021" outsold Ubisoft's other major title of the year, the much less popular "Watch Dogs: Legion."

There are currently 24 games in the "Just Dance" franchise, including several themed spin-offs like "Just Dance Kids" and "Just Dance: Disney Party." In 2014, Ubisoft started turning the main series into annual releases featuring the best dance music of the past year. Now, "Just Dance 2023" is on its way. Here's everything we know about it so far.

The first thing fans who are eager to get their groove on want to know is whether or not there is a release date for "Just Dance 2023." Well, there's good news on that front. According to the company website, "Just Dance 2023 Edition" will launch on Nov. 22, 2022. This is because "Just Dance" games are a little bit like cars. The release coinciding with a new year generally tends to come out at the end of the year prior. This is likely done to ensure the game is out in time for the holiday season. Ubisoft appears to be continuing that trend with this new game, too.

The Ubisoft website also has information about what platforms the game will be available on. Gamers can currently pre-order both physical and digital versions of "Just Dance 2023" for the Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It is currently priced at $59.99 across all consoles and markets. There is also a tab on the pre-order window for selecting different editions, though the Standard Edition seems to be the only one available right now. It's possible, however, that special editions may appear as the game comes closer to launch.

Fans who are interested in picking up "Just Dance 2023" might want to check out the announcement trailer that was posted on the Nintendo YouTube channel. It features a young woman who is using her laptop while sitting on her living room couch, when several friend icons pop out of her television and begin tugging at her and encouraging her to play the game. She turns on "Just Dance 2023" and the scene cuts back and forth between the dancing avatars on the screen and the woman and her friends dancing IRL. It then shows them in three separate panels, all dancing to the same music from their own homes. Words flash across the screen. "Welcome to a new era of dance," it says. "With new online multiplayer mode. Play together. Whenever, wherever. Welcome to a fresh look and feel. Welcome to personalized recommendations. Welcome to new [songs and modes] all year long."

The woman is then blasted back onto her sofa, where she rests for barely a second before getting a text from her friend inviting her to play a new season of "Just Dance." She nods, goes back to dancing and the words, "Welcome to your never-ending dance platform," appear on screen.

One of the most important aspects of any new "Just Dance" game is what music will be available for fans to dance to. Each new game give's players access to dozens of artists and custom choreography to match their tunes. Ubisoft rarely releases all the songs before the game's launch, but it has posted a playlist on the "Just Dance" YouTube channel that includes gameplay demos of 18 songs in total (including originals and variations) that will be available in the game:

• "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake

• "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars

• "Love Me Land" by Zara Larson

• "More" by K/DA ft. Madison Beer, (G)I-Dle, Lexie Liu, Jaira Burns and Seraphine

• "More: Seraphine Version" by K/DA ft. Madison Beer, (G)I-Dle, Lexie Liu, Jaira Burns and Seraphine

• "If You Wanna Party" by The Just Dancers

• "Physical" by Dua Lipa

• "Physical: Extreme Version" by Dua Lipa

• "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne

• "STAY" by The Kid LAROI and Justin Beiber

• "Sweet But Psycho" by Ava Max

• "Wannabe: Extreme Version" by ITZY

• "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift

• "Dynamite: Extreme Version" by BTS

• "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

• "Telephone" by Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé

• "Telephone: Runaway Version" by Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé

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• "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo

As the trailer mentioned, new seasons will appear throughout the year, adding even more music for fans to dance to after the game's launch. The developer is also allowing fans with an Ubisoft account to submit song requests on its website.

It would be easy to assume that "Just Dance 2023" would probably just be a repeat of the same old formula with slightly refined graphics, but it turns out there are actually a few big feature changes coming to this new edition. By far the biggest update is probably the new online multiplayer mode. The Ubisoft website states that this will allow friends to dance with groups of up to six players from their private friend lists. That means that players will now be able to dance off against their friends from the comfort of their own homes. No more bruised elbows! The website also states that "Just Dance 2023" will feature new 3D worlds and a new user interface. The new UI seems reminiscent of a video streaming service, while footage of the new backgrounds is much more detailed and immersive than what was available in "Just Dance 2022."

There are some other changes in the game as well. Ubisoft held a showcase for the game where Senior Producer Claire Bourgne and Creative Director Matthew Tomkinson talked about it. Tomkinson stated that the game would also have "an optimized recommendation system that finds playlists and songs that fit your every mood." Fans will have to wait and see how effective this recommendation system is when the game launches in November.