Just Dance 2021

Lore & Background

The production of Just Dance 2021, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, presented several challenges for the development team at Ubisoft Paris owing to social distancing guidelines. To tackle these problems, Ubisoft Paris used strategies like a comprehensive overhaul of traditional production methodologies to accommodate remote collaboration, while upholding the series' established brand strategy. Ubisoft Paris also embraced a commitment to diversity and inclusivity by introducing a variety of characters, including disabled dancers, into the game's universe.

In Their Own Story

The virtual lights dim as the opening beat of a chart-topping pop anthem begins to pulse through the speakers. On the screen, a group of colorful avatars strikes their first pose, arms raised in anticipation. In the living room, a player grabs their smartphone, watching the motion tracking overlay align with their own movements. As the chorus hits, the energy spikes; the virtual crowd cheers as the score climbs higher with every perfect step. For this moment, the only thing that matters is the rhythm and the shared victory of moving in unison.

Reader's Guide

As with the previous installments of the franchise, players must mimic the on-screen dancer's choreography to a chosen song using either motion controllers (excluding the ninth generation consoles and Stadia) or the game's associated smartphone app. The Stadia version also allows the use of a gamepad and a keyboard for menu navigation. Its user interface and features are largely identical to Just Dance 2019 and Just Dance 2020. Changes include the 'World Dance Floor' now being revamped with a three-song competitive tournament in three separate rooms that matches a player's level with other players of a similar level: Chill Panda (Beginner), Fabulous Hippo (Intermediate), and Fierce Deer (Expert), and a new results screen that details the player's accuracy rate in performing the moves, which is only shown when playing solo. The game also features a new mode, known as 'Quick Play' mode, in which the game randomly shuffles a song to make it easy for players to jump right into dancing without the struggle of choosing a song to dance to.

Did You Know?

• The game is the twelfth main installment of the Just Dance series.
• It was released on November 12, 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia, and on November 24, 2020 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
• The new results screen shows the player's accuracy rate in performing the moves, only when playing solo.
• The game introduced a 'Quick Play' mode that randomly shuffles a song.