Rhythm Heaven Groove
2026 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhythm Heaven Groove, known as Rhythm Paradise Groove in PAL regions and Rhythm Tengoku: Miracle Stars in Asia,[b] is a 2026 rhythm game developed by Nintendo and TNX and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series, following Rhythm Heaven Megamix (2015) for the Nintendo 3DS. Like previous entries in the series, Japanese musician Tsunku contributed music to the game. The game released worldwide on July 2, 2026, being the first new game in the Rhythm Heaven series in over a decade.
| Rhythm Heaven Groove | |
|---|---|
Promotional artwork | |
| Developer | Nintendo EPD[a] |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Director | Kazuyoshi Osawa |
| Producers | Kouichi Kawamoto Takayuki Shimamura Yoshikazu Yamashita Tsunku |
| Programmers | Takafumi Masaoka Naoki Masuda Kosuke Teshima |
| Artists | Ko Takeuchi Kyohei Seki |
| Composers | Tsunku Koji Kamada Kaoru Okubo Rei Kamiya Shinji Ushiroda Haruki Matsumoto |
| Series | Rhythm Heaven |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release |
|
| Genres | Rhythm, music |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
Rhythm Heaven Groove follows the gameplay of previous Rhythm Heaven entries, where players have to complete a series of rhythm minigames in time with the music, similar to "microgames" in the WarioWare series.[1] While visual cues are present, players are encouraged to follow the beat of the music to get a sense of the rhythm.[2] Rhythm Heaven Groove features 80 single-player rhythm games and 30 multiplayer rhythm games.[3]
Rhythm Heaven Groove features 80 single-player rhythm minigames, which are distributed in sixteen sets of five rhythm minigames, each containing four rhythm minigames and one Remix comprising of the games played in said set.[4] The last set contains five Remixes comprising of the rhythm minigames found throughout the previous sets. After each rhythm minigame is completed, rankings based on 3 categories of performance are given, similarly to previous entries before Rhythm Heaven Megamix albeit with different text: "Keep Trying" indicates the player failed and have to repeat the level; "Good" indicates that the player did well enough to pass to the next level; and "Amazing" indicates exceptional performance, giving the player a medal which can be used to unlock extra minigames.[5]
The game features audio descriptions for accessibility of blind and visually impaired players.[6][7][8]
Development and release
In 2020, series producer Tsunku expressed his hopes on a new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series for the Nintendo Switch, stating that a new game would work well on the console, advocating for fans to express their interest to Nintendo.[9] In 2025, during the initial announcement, Tsunku was revealed to return as the producer and composer, where he worked on the game without his vocal cords due to recovering from laryngeal cancer in 2014.[10][11] Ko Takeuchi also returns as the lead art designer and Kazuyoshi Osawa returns as the director after directing the original title.[12]
Announcement and release
Rhythm Heaven Groove was first announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on March 27, 2025,[10] showcasing a robotic narrator character and gameplay through various different rhythm-based minigames and revealing the use of various art styles instead of one unified style.[13] The game was revealed alongside Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, with both being the first new entries for their respective series in over a decade.[14] The presentation also revealed the release window of 2026, around 11 years since the original release of Rhythm Heaven Megamix (2015) in Japan,[2] and around 15 years since the last all-new entry to the series, Rhythm Heaven Fever (2011).[11]
One year later on April 9, 2026, Nintendo showcased one of the rhythm minigames, Slice N Dice Kitchen, a rhythm game about chopping vegetables, through the Nintendo Today! app and revealed that the game will release on July 2, 2026 worldwide.[15][16] Being priced lower than other Switch games at US$39.99 both physically and digitally, the game's price was welcomed by critics.[17][18]
More information was shown in another Nintendo Direct presentation on June 9th, 2026, where it was revealed that the game will have over 80 new rhythm games in its single-player mode, and 30 in its multiplayer mode. The presentation also revealed a role-playing game-style game mode called “Beatspell,” a first for the series. A Nintendo Treehouse live stream that took place immediately after the Direct showcased several of the new rhythm games and game modes.[3][19] A free demo containing the first four rhythm games and the first Remix of the single-player mode, and one of the multiplayer rhythm games (Rhythm Tweezers) was released on June 22, 2026.[20] On the same day as the game's release, seven music tracks were added to the Nintendo Music app as a "special release".[21] Rhythm Heaven Groove is widely presumed to be the last first party Nintendo game published on the Nintendo Switch.[22][23][24]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 82/100[c][25] |
| OpenCritic | 88% recommend[d][26] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 4/5[27] |
| Game Informer | 8.25/10[28] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[29] |
| GamesRadar+ | 4/5[30] |
| Giant Bomb | 4/5[31] |
| IGN | 9/10[5] |
| Nintendo Life | 8/10[4] |
| Shacknews | 8/10[32] |
| TechRadar | 4/5[33] |
Rhythm Heaven Groove received "generally favorable" reviews on review aggregation website Metacritic,[25] and 88% of critics recommended the game on OpenCritic.[26]
Notes
- Additional development by TNX and Intelligent Systems
- Score based on 52 reviews
- Score based on 16 reviews