It was late 2016. The Wii U was basically a ghost ship, the Nintendo Switch was just a fever dream called "NX," and Ubisoft decided to drop a neon-soaked dance floor right into our living rooms. That was the birth of Just Dance 2017. It wasn't just another yearly update. For a lot of us, it was the moment the franchise finally figured out how to exist in a world where motion cameras like the Kinect were dying, but our smartphones were becoming permanent extensions of our hands.
Honestly? It's kind of a weird relic now. But it's a fascinating one.
The PC Port That No One Expected
You have to remember that for the longest time, Just Dance was a console-only club. If you didn't have a Wii, a PlayStation, or an Xbox, you weren't invited. Then came the Just Dance 2017 PC release. This was a massive pivot. Ubisoft realized that they didn't need a proprietary camera to track your moves anymore. They just needed the Just Dance Controller app.
Suddenly, you're standing in front of your laptop, clutching your expensive smartphone like your life depends on it, trying to mirror a neon-clad dancer to the beat of "Cheap Thrills." It felt clunky at first. But it worked. This move opened the floodgates for a much wider audience. It also meant that the game became more accessible to people who had moved away from traditional consoles but still wanted that fitness-adjacent gaming experience.
The PC version wasn't perfect, though. Let’s be real. Latency was a thing. If your Wi-Fi was acting up, your five-star "Scream & Shout" performance could easily turn into a "Good" rating because the data packets didn't travel fast enough from your phone to your router. Despite that, it proved the tech was viable.
That Tracklist: A Time Capsule of 2016 Pop Culture
If you look at the song list for Just Dance 2017, it is a visceral trip back to a very specific era. We're talking peak Justin Bieber "Sorry" era. We're talking about the time when "Lean On" by Major Lazer and DJ Snake was playing in every single grocery store in the country.
The game featured about 40 tracks on the disc. It had everything from Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" for the older crowd (or the theater kids) to "Daddy" by PSY. Remember PSY? After "Gangnam Style," everyone wanted that lightning to strike twice. The choreography for "Daddy" in the game was predictably frantic and ridiculous.
But it wasn't just the big hits. Ubisoft always throws in these "International" or "World" tracks that end up being secret bangers. "Te Dominar" by Daya Luz is a perfect example. It brought a Brazilian funk vibe that most US players wouldn't have found otherwise.
The Just Dance Unlimited Factor
This was also the year Just Dance Unlimited really started to feel like a service rather than a gimmick. It was the subscription model that gave you access to over 200 tracks. If you bought the game on PS4, Xbox One, or the then-upcoming Switch, you usually got a three-month trial.
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It changed the value proposition. You weren't just buying 40 songs. You were buying a key to a vault. This is where the game transitioned from a "play it for a month and trade it in" title to something that lived on your dashboard for a year. It was a smart business move, though it definitely signaled the end of the "everything is on the disc" era of gaming that some of us still miss.
The Weirdest Platforms: From Wii to Switch
One of the most impressive (and confusing) things about Just Dance 2017 was its platform reach. It is one of the very few games that bridges the gap between the original Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo Switch.
Yes, they released this game on the original Wii in 2016. The console was a decade old. But the "Just Dance" audience on the Wii was—and still is—incredibly loyal. Those players didn't care about HD graphics or online streaming. They just wanted to swing a Wiimote.
Then, in March 2017, it became a launch title for the Nintendo Switch. If you were one of the lucky few to grab a Switch on day one, you probably had Breath of the Wild and Just Dance 2017. That was it. That was the lineup. Playing with the Joy-Cons felt different. They were smaller, more precise, and frankly, easier to accidentally throw across the room if you didn't use the wrist straps.
Choreography and the "Sweat" Factor
Let's talk about the actual dancing. Just Dance 2017 wasn't trying to be a serious simulator like Dance Central. It’s always been about "vibes." The silhouettes are bright, the backgrounds are psychedelic, and the movements are designed to be "readable."
The "Sweat" mode was a big deal this year. People were unironically using the game as a workout tool. And why not? If you play "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira on repeat for thirty minutes, you are going to burn calories. The game started tracking "Kcal" burned in real-time. Was it accurate? Probably not. It was an estimate based on how hard you were shaking the controller. But as a psychological motivator, it was brilliant.
There were also different versions of dances. The "Extreme" versions were genuinely difficult. If you weren't a trained dancer, trying to get a "Megastar" rating on the extreme version of "Scream & Shout" was an exercise in humility. It required actual muscle memory and timing, not just waving your arms around.
The Technical Legacy
What most people get wrong about Just Dance 2017 is thinking it was just a "copy-paste" of the 2016 version. Under the hood, the engine was being tweaked to handle the "Just Dance Controller" app more efficiently. This was the era where Ubisoft was obsessed with the "second screen" experience.
They also leaned heavily into the "World Dance Floor." This was the online multiplayer mode where you'd dance against people from all over the world in real-time. You'd see a leaderboard on the side of the screen with flags from France, Japan, Brazil, and the US. It felt like a global party. It turned a solitary living room activity into a competitive sport.
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Why You Might Still Want to Play It
You might wonder why anyone would go back to the 2017 version when there are newer ones. There are a couple of reasons.
First, the UI. Some people actually prefer the 2017 menu system over the newer "all-streaming" interface of the 2023/2024 editions. It felt more like a "game" and less like a "Netflix for dancing."
Second, the song exclusivity. While many songs eventually made it to Just Dance Unlimited, the specific "mashup" modes and some of the specific quest rewards were unique to this era. If you are a completionist, the 2017 version has a specific "flavor" that hasn't been perfectly replicated since.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Player
If you're looking to revisit this game or try it for the first time, keep these things in mind:
- Check the Platform: If you're on PC, the game is no longer officially for sale on Steam. You’ll have to find a physical key or a disc if you’re using a console.
- The App Situation: The "Just Dance Controller" app has been updated many times. If you're playing the 2017 version today, make sure your phone is compatible with the legacy version of the app, or use the original motion controllers (Wiimotes, Move controllers, or Kinect).
- Wii vs. Wii U: If you have the choice, the Wii U version is superior because of the HD output, but the original Wii version is a fun piece of history that works perfectly with the controllers you probably have in a box in the attic.
- Offline Play: Unlike the newest versions of Just Dance which are heavily reliant on an internet connection, the 2017 version is much more "offline-friendly." You can play the core 40 tracks without worrying about server shutdowns.
Just Dance 2017 was the bridge between the old world of motion gaming and the new world of "everything is an app." It’s a bright, loud, and slightly chaotic reminder of what pop music felt like in the mid-2010s. Whether you're doing it for the cardio or the nostalgia, it still holds up as a solid piece of entertainment.
Next Steps for Your Dance Session
- Clear your space. You need at least six feet of clear floor space. Don't be the person who kicks a coffee table during "Don't Wanna Know."
- Use the wrist straps. It sounds like a nagging parent thing, but smartphones and Joy-Cons are expensive. One sweaty palm is all it takes to break a TV.
- Explore the "Machine" Mode. This was a unique feature in 2017 where you "provide energy" to aliens by dancing. It’s weird, it’s quirky, and it’s a great way to see different dance styles in one go.
The game is a snapshot of a time when we were all obsessed with "Work" by Rihanna and "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake. It’s worth a spin, even if it’s just to see how much the world of gaming has changed in a few short years.