Best Dancing Games

It's okay to admit that Fortnite started an interest in flossing! Video games and dancing are intertwined and there's no denying it. It's thanks to dancing games that the Nintendo Wii still saw a new release in 2020 because even gamers want to bust a move with their friends every now and again.

RELATED: Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do In Fortnite

As well as playing the games themselves, players have also been taking on non-dancing titles using a dance pad as a challenge for years. Thankfully, this isn't the world of Footloose, so fans of dancing games have many terrific choices available to them. However, what are the best dancing games ever?

Updated on September 19, 2023: This article has been updated with each dancing game's specifications.

14 Now That's What I Call Music: Dance & Sing

Karaoke and dancing are a match made in heaven, and Now That's What I Call Music: Dance & Sing makes that entirely possible. Featuring over 30 of the best music tracks from over the decades from hip-hop to contemporary pop, this Wii game is sure to take players on a trip down memory lane with professionally choreographed dance routines.

With a visual format similar to the iconic Just Dance games, players can use a plug-in USB microphone to sing along to their favorite songs! They can either sing solo in the campaign mode or compete in an epic dance-off against 2-3 other players for some disco-fever fun!

13 Beat Saber

The world of virtual reality has brought gaming to new heights with added immersion, as players get to feel as though they are tearing up the dance floor in real life. Beat Saber is a popular VR-specific rhythm game by Beat Gamers, where players get to slash through incoming blocks in time to the music in a mysterious sci-fi backdrop.

RELATED: Fitness Games With Surprisingly Deep Lore

Although players don't specifically have to dance while playing Beat Saber, it would be rude not to bust a groove while tearing up blocks to the beat of the music. Beat Saber features a catalog of original music but if players don't fancy that, they can sync up their own tunes and disco to their heart's content!

Display card tags widget

Rhythm

Display card system widget

Systems

Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 91%

Display card main info widget

Released

May 21, 2019

ESRB

E For Everyone

Developer(s)

Beat Games

Publisher(s)

Beat Games

Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start

Display card media widget end

• 
• 

Where to play

Close

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

• 
• 

Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Platform(s)

PC, PS4, PS5

Genre(s)

Rhythm

Powered by

Expand Collapse

12 ABBA: You Can Dance

Developed by the same team behind the hugely successful Just Dance series, ABBA: You Can Dance is a little reminiscent of The Beatles: Rock Band. Of course, rather than jamming, players were expected to boogie on down to some of the best and most iconic pop songs of the seventies and eighties.

The game features 25 ABBA tracks in total, including hits like Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and Waterloo. Not only can four people play the game at once, but the title also features a two-player karaoke mode, making it one of the more unique and feature-rich dance games of all time.

11 Michael Jackson: The Experience

Though the core Just Dance series typically offers a decent variety of songs and dance styles, they're not great for those looking to specialize. That's where the Experience series comes into play, with Michael Jackson: The Experience being the first of three solid spin-offs.

Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, and Thriller can all be found in the game's expansive soundtrack, which includes just about every notable song from the Prince of Pop's repertoire. Its success would pave the way for more specialized releases, including the aforementioned ABBA: You Can Dance as well as a couple of Disney-themed dance games too.

10 Space Channel 5

This one might be cheating a little but it's just too good not to include! Published by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, Space Channel 5 is an incredibly unique rhythm game in which players control a space-faring reporter named Ulala.

RELATED: Dreamcast Games That Deserve To Be Remade

Throughout the game, they must help Ulala imitate the movements and singing of her opponents, which results in some killer dance sequences. It's a game that is often forgotten but is so good that it really shouldn't be.

9 Unison: Rebels Of Rhythm & Dance

Though Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance is technically a rhythm game, the gameplay is far more dance-like than something like Space Channel 5. Players essentially dance with their thumbs, using the joystick to move and wiggle to match arm movements on screen.

Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance takes heavy inspiration from things like J-pop, anime, and musical girl groups; both in terms of its art style and its themes. This all combines for a flavor unlike any other and a story that will keep players engaged as they're boogieing down.

8 Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

Nintendo games are renowned for their amazing soundtracks, so the opportunity to dance to their tunes is arguably too good to pass up! Players can choose to play as Mario or Luigi to go through the game while dancing to amazing music from the Mario series.

This game is such a fan favorite that players have even figured out speedrun strategies for it. Plus, the game is one of very few to feature Waluigi as its main antagonist, making it a great one for fans of the purple-clad plumber. If only he could bust out those sweet dance moves in Smash...

7 Pump It Up Exceed SE

The Pump It Up series of games originate in Korea and have one major difference when compared to other games with a dance pad: a fifth button. The added button in the middle of the mat gives the game added charm, though can make it difficult to play as it requires that unique controller.

RELATED: Fitness Games That Will Give You An Intense Workout

Unfortunately, Pump It Up Exceed SE was the only major release for the series in the United States but is absolutely worth trying for any fans of dance games with the opportunity. For those who enjoy it, other Pump it Up games can be imported, though tracking them down can be challenging these days.

6 Dance Central

The Dance Central series is among some of the very best when it comes to using the Kinect for gameplay. The very first title in the series holds a Metacritic score of 82 and the soundtrack list contains some serious belters.

Poker Face by Lady Gaga, Crank That by Soulja Boy, and even Funky Town by Lipps Inc. Are all available to shake it to. It's nice having a fun dance game where a controller doesn't have to be held or stomped on, but more so having several. While the original release is very good, the sequels are arguably superior, although the series is overall consistent.

5 Step Mania

Imagine a dancing game where anyone can add and customize any song, where Despacito and Kirin J. Callinan's Big Enough can be found side-by-side. This dancing fever dream is Step Mania, a dancing game released under the MIT License, so anyone can play it for free.

The only real downside to the game is how hard using a gamepad with it can be. Still, very few games can match Step Mania when it comes to variety, and it doesn't take all that long to familiarize oneself with the game's gamepad control scheme.