Just Dance VR
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| Just Dance VR | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Ubisoft Paris, Soul Assembly |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Platform | Meta Horizon OS |
| Device | Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro |
| Operating System | Meta Horizon OS |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Rhythm, Music |
| Input Device | Touch controllers |
| Game Mode | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Release Date | 15 October 2024 |
| Price | US$29.99 |
| App Store | Meta Horizon Store |
| Website | https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/just-dance/vr |
Just Dance VR, released with the subtitle Welcome to Dancity, is a virtual reality dance and rhythm game in Ubisoft's Just Dance series. It was co-developed by Ubisoft Paris and the UK studio Soul Assembly and released on 15 October 2024 for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest Pro.[1][2] Players copy the routines of on-screen dance coaches inside 360-degree environments, and the game scores the movement of both hands. It launched with 25 songs and a social hub called Dancity.[2]
The game had a long development. Ubisoft first revealed a VR version of Just Dance in June 2016, around E3, and in September 2022 Pico announced Just Dance VR as a 2023 exclusive for its standalone headset. After layoffs at Pico, Ubisoft said it was working with a new partner, and in June 2024 it announced the game for Meta Quest instead.[3][4][5]
Gameplay
As in the console entries of the series, the player follows a costumed dance coach through a choreographed routine for each song. Pictograms show which move is coming next.[6] Ubisoft describes the game as a 3D, 360-degree virtual reality universe, and the songs are performed inside environments called "Danceverses".[2] According to UploadVR, each song has its own Danceverse.[6] The player holds the Quest's Touch controllers, and both hands are scored. Ubisoft states that other Just Dance installments track and score only the right hand.[1] In its review, UploadVR found the VR version more forgiving in its scoring than the flatscreen games.[6]
Apartment and Dancity
Each player has an apartment that works as a home menu, where songs are chosen and trophies are displayed.[6] Up to six players can gather in an apartment to dance together, play basketball and interact with toys and other items.[2][1] Dancity is a public social hub where up to 18 players can meet and move around freely with their avatars.[2] UploadVR reported that Dancity includes matchmaking against other dancers, weekly tournaments and leaderboards, and that communication there is restricted to an emoji-only system, while private parties of up to six people in the apartment support voice chat.[6] TechRadar's review also described local multiplayer by passing the headset between players.[7]
At launch, player avatars were built with Ready Player Me's avatar system, which let players choose body shape, facial expression, skin color, hair and outfits.[2][5] Players earn rewards including emote stickers, toys, aliases and outfits as they progress.[2]
Songs
The game launched with 25 songs.[2] Ubisoft states that all 25 song maps were taken from popular Just Dance maps of the previous 15 years of console games and reimagined for 360-degree play.[1] Gaming Nexus noted that these are the same dances, with the same visuals, as in earlier Just Dance games.[8] Songs named in Ubisoft's announcement and in reviews include:
| Song | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| "Don't Stop Me Now" | Queen | [9] |
| "Bad Liar" | Selena Gomez | [9] |
| "Starships" | Nicki Minaj | [9] |
| "Lights" | Ellie Goulding | [9] |
| "Call Me Maybe" | Carly Rae Jepsen | [9] |
| "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" | Fergie ft. Q-Tip, GoonRock | [9] |
| "Volar" | Lele Pons ft. Susan Diaz and Victor Cardenas | [9] |
| "How You Like That" | Blackpink | [8][6] |
| "Hollaback Girl" | Gwen Stefani | [6] |
Development
In June 2016, as part of its E3 2016 VR line-up, Ubisoft revealed a VR version of Just Dance. UploadVR reported it alongside Star Trek: Bridge Crew and noted that it would join Ubisoft's existing VR games Eagle Flight and Werewolves Within; the site wrote that details were scarce and that the game sounded as if it could launch the following year.[3]
In September 2022, Pico announced that Just Dance VR would arrive in 2023 exclusively on its standalone headset. UploadVR called it Pico's first major exclusive, and noted that it was unclear whether the exclusivity was timed or permanent.[4] The Pico release did not happen. Pico laid off a significant portion of its workforce after stopping short of releasing the Pico 4 in the United States, and Road to VR reported that the Pico version was dropped as a result of parent company ByteDance's layoffs at Pico.[10][5] In November 2023, Ubisoft told UploadVR: "We are working with a new partner for Just Dance VR and we'll have more details, including the release date, at a later time."[11]
The finished game was co-developed by Ubisoft Paris and Soul Assembly, a UK studio whose earlier VR games include Drop Dead: The Cabin, Warhammer 40,000: Battle Sister and Soul Spire.[1][5] According to Ubisoft, a level designer at Ubisoft Paris recaptured all of the original choreographies to add a left-hand layer to scoring, and the team reworked the user interface for a 360-degree VR experience. Associate producer Alexandre Robin said that Soul Assembly "provided the knowledge and ideas needed to ensure our design aligned with the expectations and hopes of the VR community for a rhythm and dance game."[1]
Release
Ubisoft announced the Quest version and its 15 October 2024 release date on 9 June 2024; the announcement named Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro and Quest 3.[9][10] Road to VR wrote that the game was "ostensibly skipping Pico support entirely".[5] It launched on the same day as Just Dance 2025 Edition, with Meta Quest 3S added to the supported headsets.[2]
| Platform | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Quest 2 | 15 October 2024 | [2] |
| Meta Quest 3 | 15 October 2024 | [2] |
| Meta Quest 3S | 15 October 2024 | [2] |
| Meta Quest Pro | 15 October 2024 | [2] |
The game sells for US$29.99 on the Meta Horizon Store, where it is listed in the Rhythm genre and includes in-game purchases.[6][12]
Reception
Reviewers commonly criticized the size or age of the song list. As of October 2026, Metacritic shows no Metascore for the game because it has fewer than four critic reviews.[13]
| Publication | Score | Platform reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| UploadVR | 3.5/5 | Meta Quest 3[6] |
| TechRadar | 3/5 | Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S[7] |
| Gaming Nexus | 8/10 | Meta Quest 3[8] |
| WayTooManyGames | 8.5/10 | Meta Quest 2[14] |
Henry Stockdale of UploadVR praised the social hub and the song environments but criticized the 25-song library and the small number of things to do in Dancity. He called the game "an enjoyable adaptation that matches the flatscreen entries well", while judging it a harder sell than Beat Saber for players who already own VR rhythm games.[6] Hamish Hector of TechRadar listed the vibrant stages and the absence of motion sickness among the game's strengths, but wrote that "the dated track list and the fact that it doesn't take full advantage of the VR medium" left him wanting more; he also pointed to the lack of a mixed reality mode.[7]
Eric Hauter of Gaming Nexus wrote that "a ton of infrastructure, a cool social hub, and a fun leveling system really help sell this package" but that the game "phones it in on the dances themselves".[8] Leo Faria of WayTooManyGames called it "a perfect fit for a portable VR system like the Quest" and praised the motion controls, while noting that 25 songs is nearly half as many as a typical yearly Just Dance release.[14]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Brittany Spurlin (2024-09-30). "Ubisoft Partners with Soul Assembly for Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity". Ubisoft News. Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2abk6iMWvG58VJ8Qk5xU68/ubisoft-partners-with-soul-assembly-for-just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Chastity Vicencio (2024-10-15). "Just Dance 2025 Edition & Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity Available Now". Ubisoft News. Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/yJEMRMtbY21JaJZ6JOBMT/just-dance-2025-edition-just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity-available-now. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jamie Feltham (2016-06-13). "Ubisoft is Bringing 'Just Dance' and 'Trackmania Turbo' to VR". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/trackmania-turbo-just-dance-vr/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ian Hamilton (2022-09-21). "Just Dance VR Is Pico's First Major Exclusive". UploadVR. https://uploadvr.com/just-dance-vr-pico-4/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Scott Hayden (2024-06-11). "Rhythm Game 'Just Dance VR' is Skipping Pico 4 Exclusivity and Launching on Quest in October". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/just-dance-vr-quest-2-3-pico-4-skipped/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 Henry Stockdale (2024-10-15). "Just Dance VR Review: A Familiar Beat". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/just-dance-vr-review/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hamish Hector (2024-10-16). "Just Dance VR review: big on style, lacking in substance". TechRadar. https://www.techradar.com/gaming/just-dance-vr-review. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Eric Hauter (2024-10-15). "Just Dance VR". Gaming Nexus. https://gamingnexus.com/Article/14124/Just-Dance-VR. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Brittany Spurlin (2024-06-09). "Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity Releasing October 15". Ubisoft News. Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2pZTdbpFbbDWLrlgSQgoIV/just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity-releasing-october-15. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ian Hamilton (2024-06-10). "Ubisoft's Just Dance VR Getting Quest Release In October After Pico Missed The Beat". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/just-dance-quest-pico/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Henry Stockdale (2023-11-20). "'New Partner' Takes Lead On Ubisoft's Just Dance VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/just-dance-vr-new-partner/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "Just Dance VR - Welcome to Dancity". Meta Horizon Store. Meta Platforms. https://www.meta.com/experiences/just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity/6646371635430939/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Leo Faria (2024-10-19). "Review - Just Dance VR: Welcome to Dancity". WayTooManyGames. https://waytoomany.games/2024/10/19/review-just-dance-vr-welcome-to-dancity/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.