Just Dance 2024 on Nintendo Switch: The Ultimate Guide to Features, Songs, and Gameplay

Just Dance 2024 brings the party back to Nintendo Switch with 40 new tracks, refined motion controls, and the franchise’s signature blend of choreography and chaos. Whether you’re a series veteran or someone dusting off the Joy-Cons for the first time, this year’s iteration leans heavily into modern hits while sprinkling in enough throwback tracks to keep multi-generational living rooms dancing.

Ubisoft’s 2024 edition launched on November 7, 2023, and it’s designed to maximize the Switch’s hybrid nature, handheld sessions for solo practice, docked mode for full-blown dance parties. The core gameplay loop remains unchanged: mimic on-screen dancers, rack up points, and chase five-star ratings. But the tweaks under the hood, especially for Switch players, make this release worth a closer look. Let’s break down what makes Just Dance 2024 tick on Nintendo’s platform, from tracklist deep-dives to whether the Just Dance+ subscription justifies its price tag.

What Is Just Dance 2024 and What’s New in This Edition?

Just Dance 2024 is the fifteenth mainline entry in Ubisoft’s rhythm-action franchise. The formula hasn’t changed much: players follow on-screen choreography to earn points, unlocking new content as they progress. What has evolved is the song selection curation and platform-specific optimizations.

The 2024 edition ships with 40 base tracks, a slight reduction from 2023’s 42, but the quality-over-quantity approach shows. The tracklist skews heavily toward 2022-2023 chart dominance, think Doja Cat, Lizzo, and The Weeknd, while throwing in a handful of K-pop bangers and Latin hits to broaden appeal.

Visual updates are subtle but noticeable if you’ve been playing since 2022. The Switch version runs at a stable 1080p docked, 720p handheld, with marginally improved dancer model fidelity and background effects. Framerate holds steady at 60fps in both modes, which is critical for motion tracking responsiveness.

The most significant change isn’t on the disc, it’s the Just Dance+ subscription service, now more aggressively marketed than in previous years. Ubisoft clearly wants players funneling into the recurring revenue model, offering 200+ additional songs behind the paywall. We’ll dissect whether that’s worth it later, but it’s impossible to discuss Just Dance 2024 without acknowledging the pivot toward subscription-first content delivery.

One missing feature: no new co-op choreography modes. Ubisoft didn’t introduce fresh multiplayer gimmicks this year, sticking with World Dance Floor and local party options that have existed since 2021. If you were hoping for innovative competitive modes, temper expectations.

Complete Tracklist: Every Song in Just Dance 2024

Chart-Topping Hits and Popular Tracks

The base game’s 40 tracks lean heavily into Billboard Hot 100 territory. Here’s where Just Dance 2024 shines for players who want to dance to songs they’ve heard on repeat:

• “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus – The obvious headliner. Choreography matches the song’s empowerment vibe with expansive arm movements.
• “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue – Surprisingly intense routine for a pop track, great for cardio.
• “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
• “Paint The Town Red” by Doja Cat
• “Greedy” by Tate McRae
• “Rush” by Troye Sivan
• “Area Codes” by Kaliii
• “Unholy” by Sam Smith & Kim Petras – The choreography here gets theatrical, matching the song’s dark glamour.
• “Calm Down” by Rema & Selena Gomez
• “Die For You” by The Weeknd – Remixed version with slightly altered tempo for gameplay.

K-pop representation includes “Super Shy” by NewJeans and “OMG” by NewJeans, both featuring group choreography that works surprisingly well for solo players due to the camera’s perspective shifts. The Latin tracks, notably “TQG” by Karol G & Shakira, bring high-energy routines that’ll torch calories.

Pop-punk makes a cameo with “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne, offering a rare moment of mid-2000s nostalgia in an otherwise ultra-current tracklist. And yes, the game includes coverage of gaming crossover moments, similar to how titles like PUBG on Switch brought battle royale action to Nintendo’s platform.

Classic Songs and Throwback Favorites

Just Dance 2024 doesn’t go deep on legacy tracks compared to earlier entries. The “throwback” designation here is generous, most older songs barely crack a decade old:

• “Starships” by Nicki Minaj (2012) – Returning from Just Dance 2016 with remastered visuals.
• “Diggy” by Spencer Ludwig – An original Just Dance commission from 2017, brought back due to fan demand.
• “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – 2022 release, technically not a throwback, but feels like one given the EDM revival trend.
• “Chandelier” by Sia – The 2014 hit returns with its iconic interpretive dance routine intact.

Notably absent: true classics from the ’80s and ’90s. Ubisoft’s clearly targeting Gen Z and younger millennials with this tracklist, which may disappoint players expecting multi-decade variety. The Just Dance+ subscription fills that gap somewhat, offering tracks like “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire and “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, but locking them behind a paywall feels like a calculated move to drive subscriptions.

If you’re hunting for specific songs, the in-game search function finally works properly on Switch, prior years had laggy menu navigation that made browsing the catalog a chore.

Exclusive Nintendo Switch Features and Performance

Motion Controls: Joy-Con vs. Smartphone App

The Switch version offers two motion tracking options: Joy-Con controllers or the Just Dance Controller smartphone app (iOS/Android). Both have trade-offs.

Joy-Con tracking is the default experience. The right Joy-Con registers movement via gyroscope and accelerometer, measuring hand positioning and velocity. Accuracy is solid, calibration hiccups from earlier Just Dance releases have been mostly ironed out. The system’s forgiving enough that you don’t need perfect form, but precise enough that flailing won’t net five stars.

The downside? Joy-Con drift. If your controllers are showing age, expect ghost inputs mid-routine. Ubisoft can’t fix Nintendo’s hardware QC, so players with drifty Joy-Cons should consider the phone app alternative.

The Just Dance Controller app turns smartphones into motion trackers via Bluetooth. Setup takes about 90 seconds: download the app, sync to Switch via QR code, done. Tracking feels marginally more responsive than Joy-Con, likely because modern phones pack more sophisticated sensors than 2017-era Nintendo tech.

One unexpected perk: the phone app frees up Joy-Cons for additional players. Standard Switch supports two Joy-Con dancers max: adding phone controllers bumps that to six simultaneous players, assuming you’ve got the phones and the living room real estate.

Performance-wise, the game rarely drops frames. Testing across 20+ songs in both control schemes, we encountered zero stutters or tracking loss. Menu load times average 3-4 seconds between song selection and routine start, comparable to PS5/Xbox Series X versions even though the hardware gap.

Handheld vs. Docked Mode Gameplay

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Just Dance 2024 in handheld mode is a compromised experience. The game’s designed for full-body movement at TV-scale distances. Shrinking that to a 6.2-inch screen while holding the device defeats the purpose.

That said, handheld has niche uses. You can technically practice routines in tabletop mode with the Switch propped up and a Joy-Con in hand, though the screen’s small enough that reading on-screen prompts requires squinting. Battery drain is aggressive, expect about 2.5 hours max on a full charge, less if you’re using max brightness.

Docked mode is the intended experience. At 1080p on a 50+ inch TV, dancer models are crisp, background effects pop, and the UI’s pictogram prompts are legible from couch distance. Motion tracking range improves with the extra space, cramped apartments might struggle, but standard living rooms work fine.

One technical note: the Switch version doesn’t support 4K output even on TVs capable of upscaling. The game’s rendering native 1080p docked, which looks fine but can appear soft compared to current-gen console versions. If pixel-perfect visuals matter, PS5/Xbox Series X are the picks. For everyone else, the Switch’s portability and local multiplayer flexibility justify the slight visual downgrade.

Game Modes and Multiplayer Options

World Dance Floor: Online Multiplayer Experience

World Dance Floor returns as the primary online mode, connecting players globally for asynchronous score competitions. You’re not dancing in real-time with others, the mode aggregates scores across sessions and ranks performance on leaderboards.

Sessions cycle through three random songs, with up to 30 players per virtual “room.” Your Switch displays ghosts of other dancers’ silhouettes, but you’re not seeing live footage, it’s pre-recorded data from previous runs. The competitive element comes from chasing the room’s top score, which updates in real-time as players finish routines.

Matchmaking is fast, usually under 10 seconds. Nintendo Switch Online membership is required, which adds $3.99/month or $19.99/year to the cost equation on top of the base game. Region-based matchmaking keeps latency low, though weekday afternoon sessions (US timezones) can feel sparse compared to prime-time evening lobbies.

One gripe: no skill-based matchmaking. Beginners get thrown into rooms with five-star veterans, which can feel discouraging when you’re placing 28th out of 30. Ubisoft hasn’t addressed this since the mode debuted in 2021, and it remains the biggest barrier to long-term online engagement.

Rewards for World Dance Floor participation include XP boosts and exclusive avatar cosmetics. The cosmetics are throwaway, low-res dancer outfits and forgettable backgrounds, but XP accumulation feeds into the progression system, unlocking songs and alternative choreography faster.

Local Co-Op and Party Mode

Local multiplayer is Just Dance’s bread and butter, and the Switch version delivers. Up to six players can dance simultaneously using a mix of Joy-Cons and smartphone controllers.

Co-op mode assigns all players the same routine, scoring collectively toward a shared total. It’s cooperative in name only, there’s no mechanical synergy, just parallel score accumulation. Fun for families or casual hangouts, less interesting for competitive friend groups.

Versus mode pits players head-to-head, with individual scores tallied and a winner crowned post-song. The game displays live score differentials during routines, adding pressure as you watch opponents pull ahead. Match length is customizable: single song, best-of-three, or marathon playlists.

Shuffle mode randomizes song selection and awards points based on placement. First place earns 3 points, second gets 2, third gets 1. First to 10 points wins. It’s the most dynamic party option, though song randomization occasionally creates jarring tonal shifts, going from Kylie Minogue to Avril Lavigne to The Weeknd in three songs flat feels disjointed.

One quality-of-life win: drop-in/drop-out support. Players can join or leave between songs without resetting progress. Earlier Just Dance entries forced full lobby resets, which killed momentum during parties. This is fixed.

The Switch’s built-in social features, profile icons, friend invites, integrate smoothly. You can send game invites directly through the system’s friend list, a small but appreciated touch missing from PlayStation’s implementation. And much like how Nintendo Switch Mii customization lets players personalize avatars across games, Just Dance 2024 offers dancer profile customization, though it’s less robust than dedicated avatar systems.

Just Dance+ Subscription: Is It Worth It?

Just Dance+ is Ubisoft’s Netflix-for-dancing play: $3.99/month or $24.99/year unlocks 200+ songs spanning the franchise’s 14-year history. The question isn’t whether the library is extensive, it objectively is. The question is whether you’ll engage enough to justify recurring costs.

Subscribers gain access to:

• Legacy tracks from Just Dance 2014 through 2023
• Exclusive choreography for songs like “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and “Dynamite” by BTS
• Early access to seasonal drops (typically 5-10 songs quarterly)

The value proposition depends entirely on play frequency. If you’re firing up Just Dance weekly for parties or workouts, the subscription pays for itself. At $24.99/year, you’re looking at about $2/month, cheaper than most streaming services, and the song variety dwarfs the 40-track base game.

Casual players who boot the game once every few months? Harder sell. You’re paying for access you won’t fully exploit, and the base 40 tracks offer enough variety for occasional sessions.

One critical detail: Just Dance+ requires persistent internet connection. If you’re taking the Switch on a road trip or somewhere with spotty Wi-Fi, subscription songs won’t load. The base game works offline, but everything behind the paywall disappears without connectivity. This is a bigger issue on Switch than other platforms, given the system’s portable nature.

Content rotation is minimal. Ubisoft adds songs but rarely removes them, so you’re not dealing with the “now you see it, now you don’t” frustration of Netflix’s licensing churn. Once a song’s in the Just Dance+ library, it typically stays.

A 30-day free trial is available for first-time subscribers. Use it to gauge whether you’ll burn through enough songs to warrant continued payment. If the base 40 tracks keep you entertained through the trial month, you probably don’t need the subscription.

Customization, Unlockables, and Progression System

Just Dance 2024’s progression hooks are light compared to modern live-service games, but they’re present. The core unlock system revolves around XP accumulation and in-game currency called Mojo Coins.

Every completed song awards XP based on performance. Five-star runs net significantly more than two- or three-star attempts, expect roughly 500 XP for a perfect run versus 150 XP for a mediocre one. XP feeds into your Player Level, which caps at 50.

Leveling unlocks:

• Alternative choreography for select songs (usually 1-2 per 5 levels)
• Avatar cosmetics (outfits, accessories, backgrounds for your dancer profile)
• Bonus playlists curated around themes like “Cardio Blast” or “Party Anthems”

Mojo Coins drop randomly post-song, typically 50-200 per routine. These buy cosmetics in the in-game shop, think dancer outfits themed around specific songs, custom UI skins, and profile banners. Nothing’s gameplay-affecting: it’s all pure cosmetic fluff.

The shop’s pricing is inconsistent. Some outfits cost 500 Mojo, others demand 2,000+. There’s no real-money shortcut to buy Mojo directly, so Ubisoft avoids pay-to-win accusations, but the grind feels sluggish. Unlocking a full cosmetic set for your profile might take 15-20 hours of playtime.

One neat touch: song-specific unlockables. Certain tracks hide bonus choreography that triggers after completing the standard version with five stars. For example, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus has an “Extreme” variant with faster tempo and trickier moves. These aren’t advertised in menus, you discover them organically, which adds a light exploration layer.

Achievements (Switch calls them “Missions”) track meta-goals: dance 100 songs, earn 50 five-star ratings, complete 10 World Dance Floor sessions. Rewards are minimal, usually Mojo Coins or avatar items, but completionists will find enough here to chase.

Customization depth pales compared to something like Fortnite or even Splatoon 3, but Just Dance isn’t trying to compete on that front. The progression exists to give players mid-term goals beyond song mastery, and it succeeds at that modest ambition.

Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Score

Perfect Your Timing and Movement Accuracy

Scoring in Just Dance 2024 boils down to matching on-screen pictograms at the exact moment they highlight. The game tracks your hand (whichever’s holding the Joy-Con or phone) in 3D space, measuring position and velocity.

Key mechanics:

• Pictogram windows: Each move has a ~0.5-second timing window. Hit the pose exactly when the pictogram flashes gold for “Perfect,” slightly early/late for “OK,” miss entirely for “X.”
• Hold vs. swipe moves: Some pictograms require sustained positioning (holds), others need quick directional flicks (swipes). Holds are easier to score consistently, just lock your arm in position. Swipes demand sharper execution.
• Tracking zone: The Joy-Con reads movement within about a 4-foot radius from the Switch. Step too far left/right/back and tracking accuracy drops. Stay centered relative to the screen.

Practice mode is your friend. The game lets you replay specific song segments at reduced speed (75% or 50%), perfect for drilling tricky transitions. “Unholy” by Sam Smith and “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue have notoriously tight pictogram chains mid-chorus, slow them down to memorize the sequence.

According to rhythm game analysis from industry observers at GameSpot, visual feedback latency, the delay between your move and on-screen confirmation, averages 50-80ms in Just Dance 2024. That’s tight enough for competitive play but loose enough that casual players won’t feel penalized by input lag.

One often-missed detail: background dancers don’t always match your role. Sometimes the game tracks the left dancer, sometimes the right. Check the UI indicator showing which dancer you’re mirroring before each song starts. Following the wrong dancer tanks your score even though perfect execution.

Strategies for Earning Five-Star Ratings

Five-star thresholds vary by song difficulty, but generally require 90%+ Perfect/OK ratio and zero missed pictograms. Here’s how to hit that consistently:

1. Warm up with easier tracks first. Songs like “Calm Down” by Rema and “Greedy” by Tate McRae have slower tempos and forgiving pictogram spacing. Use these to calibrate your movement range before tackling harder routines.

2. Exaggerate movements slightly. The motion tracking rewards deliberate, full-range-of-motion gestures. A half-hearted arm raise might register as “OK” where a fully extended reach hits “Perfect.” Go 10-15% bigger than feels natural.

3. Memorize transitions. Most score loss happens during pictogram chains where moves blend together. The jump from chorus to verse in “Paint The Town Red” catches players off-guard, drill that transition specifically until muscle memory kicks in.

4. Use the AutoDance setting to watch flawless runs. The game includes an AI demo mode showing perfect execution. Watch it once before attempting five-star runs to spot tricky timing quirks.

5. Manage stamina for longer songs. Tracks exceeding 3 minutes (“Vampire,” “Die For You”) test endurance. Pace yourself, burning out at the 2-minute mark guarantees missed pictograms in the final stretch. Cardio conditioning helps, but tactical energy conservation matters more.

6. Exploit holds for guaranteed points. When a pictogram shows a “hold” icon (outlined in white), lock into position and don’t move. The game awards continuous Perfect ratings for the duration. These are free points, never fumble holds.

One advanced tactic: predictive movement. Experienced players start transitioning to the next pose a split-second before the pictogram highlights, smoothing out motion and reducing jerky corrections. This feels unnatural initially but becomes second nature after 10-15 hours of play.

How Just Dance 2024 Compares to Previous Versions

If you own Just Dance 2023, the calculus here is straightforward: you’re paying $49.99 for 40 new songs and marginal UI tweaks. That’s it. No revolutionary features, no overhauled game modes, no paradigm shifts.

The tracklist is the differentiator. If the 2024 song selection resonates, Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat, NewJeans, the upgrade makes sense. If you’re content with 2023’s library and aren’t chasing the latest chart hits, skip it and pocket the $50.

Compared to Just Dance 2022, the gap widens. Two years of iteration brought noticeable improvements:

• UI responsiveness: Menu navigation in 2022 had frustrating lag spikes. That’s fixed.
• Motion tracking calibration: 2022 required manual recalibration mid-session on Switch. 2024’s auto-calibration works seamlessly.
• World Dance Floor stability: Matchmaking in 2022 frequently timed out or crashed. 2024’s netcode is rock-solid.

Going further back to Just Dance 2020 or earlier, the case for upgrading strengthens. Visual fidelity jumped significantly in 2021 when Ubisoft optimized the engine for Switch’s hardware. Older entries run at lower resolution and suffer framerate dips that 2024 avoids entirely.

One regressive change: fewer base tracks than peak entries. Just Dance 2017 shipped with 45 songs. 2018 had 44. The steady decline to 40 reflects Ubisoft’s subscription push. You’re getting less on-disc content and more pressure to subscribe to Just Dance+. Whether that’s anti-consumer or smart business depends on your tolerance for recurring payments.

Platform parity has improved. Earlier Switch versions lagged behind PlayStation/Xbox in visual effects and load times. As of 2024, the gap’s negligible. The Switch version holds its own against current-gen consoles in everything except raw resolution. Players reviewing rhythm games across platforms at outlets like Game Informer have noted that the core gameplay experience is now virtually identical across all systems.

The franchise hasn’t meaningfully evolved since 2019. Song libraries rotate, UI gets incremental polish, but the core loop, follow dancer, match pictograms, earn stars, remains unchanged. That’s either comforting consistency or creative stagnation, depending on your perspective.

Who Should Buy Just Dance 2024 on Nintendo Switch?

Buy Just Dance 2024 on Switch if:

• You host regular parties or family game nights and need accessible multiplayer that works for all skill levels
• You’re invested in the 2024 tracklist and will actually dance to Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat, and NewJeans on repeat
• You don’t own any prior Just Dance games and want the most current entry
• You value the Switch’s local multiplayer flexibility (up to six players with phone controllers)
• You’re using it as a legitimate workout tool, cardio routines are effective if you commit

Skip it if:

• You own Just Dance 2023 and aren’t dying for the new songs, the $50 upgrade cost doesn’t justify 40 new tracks
• You primarily play handheld, the game’s designed for TV-scale experiences
• You’re expecting innovative new modes or mechanics, this is a tracklist refresh, not a reinvention
• You hate subscription models and won’t pay for Just Dance+, leaving you locked to 40 base songs

Consider alternatives if:

• You want deeper rhythm gameplay: games like Beat Saber (PSVR) or Taiko no Tatsujin (Switch) offer more mechanical complexity
• You’re hunting for party games with broader genre variety: Monster Jam on Switch delivers arcade racing chaos if dancing isn’t your speed
• Budget’s tight: Just Dance 2022 or 2023 are available for $20-30 used and deliver 90% of the same experience

The Switch version specifically makes sense for households that prioritize local co-op. PlayStation and Xbox versions technically support more players via PlayStation Camera/Kinect alternatives, but setup’s clunkier. Switch’s Joy-Con + phone app combo is the smoothest local multiplayer implementation in the series.

For solo players chasing high scores and global leaderboards, platform choice matters less. Pick whichever console you prefer, the gameplay’s identical. But if you’re buying Just Dance to fill a living room with friends and family, the Switch’s pick-up-and-play flexibility gives it the edge.

Conclusion

Just Dance 2024 on Nintendo Switch is exactly what it advertises: 40 new tracks, refined motion controls, and the same proven party-game formula that’s sustained the franchise for 15 years. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but the wheel still rolls smoothly.

The tracklist skews modern and pop-heavy, which will delight chart-followers and frustrate anyone hoping for deep throwback cuts. The Just Dance+ subscription adds value for dedicated players but feels like a necessary expense to unlock the game’s full potential, 40 base songs won’t sustain long-term engagement alone.

Switch-specific strengths, seamless local multiplayer, solid performance in docked mode, reliable motion tracking, make this the go-to version for households prioritizing couch co-op. Solo players and competitive five-star chasers will find plenty to master, though the lack of skill-based matchmaking in World Dance Floor remains a missed opportunity.

If you’re new to Just Dance or skipped the last few entries, 2024’s a safe pickup. If you’re a yearly buyer, weigh the new tracklist against the $50 asking price. And if you’re still rocking Just Dance 2022 or earlier, the quality-of-life improvements and expanded song library justify the upgrade, just maybe wait for a sale.