Controllers and Phone Controls in Decades of Hits
How to control Just Dance: Decades of Hits: use your smartphone as a controller and where motion controls fit on Nintendo Switch.
Controllers and Phone Controls in Just Dance: Decades of Hits
Just Dance: Decades of Hits supports two main ways to play: the free Just Dance Controller smartphone app, and — according to Wikipedia — the Joy-Con controllers on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The same Wikipedia entry states that the smartphone's camera can be used as a scoring method in single-player only. Ubisoft's launch announcement for the game states that players can "use your phone as a controller, allowing everyone to play without purchasing extra hardware accessories," while Nintendo's release news post notes that additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode and are sold separately. No other officially documented controller options are listed in the sources available, so anything beyond these methods is not confirmed.
Using Your Smartphone as a Controller
One supported input method is your phone. According to the Ubisoft news article announcing the game's release, the game supports up to six players locally, and using a smartphone as a controller means everyone can join in without buying extra hardware.
The companion app, called Just Dance Controller, lists itself as compatible with Just Dance: Decades of Hits on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch Lite, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The app's own description states that no camera or additional accessories are required — you simply keep the smartphone in your right hand while dancing, and the app tracks your moves. The same listing says the app supports up to six players at once, and that it also handles navigation through the game.
Motion Controls on Nintendo Switch
The official game page describes the game as available on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 (from November 10, 2026), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. For the Nintendo versions specifically, the Nintendo eShop listing for the Switch release confirms that the game supports motion controls as a listed feature tag, and notes support for single-system play with 1 to 6 players as well as online play with 1 to 6 players.
Playing Without Extra Accessories
The design intent is that you do not need to buy anything beyond the game itself. Ubisoft's news post states plainly that using a phone as a controller lets everyone play without purchasing extra hardware accessories.
On the Nintendo side, Nintendo's release news post includes a footnote that additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode and are sold separately, so the practical picture depends on how many people are dancing and which device each one uses.
The Free Option
If you want to try before committing, the Nintendo news post about the game's release notes that you can try it for free by selecting the Just Dance Free Experience. That same post mentions the Switch version is priced at $39.99 on the eShop, and that Switch 2 owners can update their Switch game for free on November 10, 2026 to get enhanced visuals, with an internet connection required for the update.
What Is Not Documented
The sources available do not describe a Kinect-style camera option for this entry, nor do they list support for third-party dance mats or other peripherals. According to Wikipedia, the smartphone's camera can be used as a scoring method in single-player only; no other camera-based scoring details are documented in the sources here. For a group setup, the official pages describe the phone app as supporting up to six players and as letting everyone play without extra accessories; the game's documented controller options are the phone app and, per Wikipedia, Joy-Con controllers on Nintendo consoles.
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