Following its announcement in a spring 2025 Nintendo Direct, the much anticipated Rhythm Heaven Groove released on July 2, 2026, shortly before the Rhythm Heaven franchise’s twentieth birthday. Published and developed by Nintendo with music from Tsunku of TNX, this is the fifth game of the Rhythm Heaven series. Other games include Rhythm Tengoku (2006), Rhythm Heaven (2008), Rhythm Heaven Fever (2011), and Rhythm Heaven Megamix (2011).
Rhythm Heaven Groove is, as the name may suggest, a rhythm game. It contains over 110 total mini games, featuring eighty for solo play and thirty for an expanded multiplayer mode for up to four players. Players must button mash on the right beats in order to “catch flying veggies, bounce fruit off [their] your biceps, swing sledgehammers, and more.” As they progress through the game, players have the opportunity to “unlock Beatspell, a single-player mode” that allows them to “take on monsters with rhythm-based spells.”
Single player mini games, as advertised on the Nintendo eShop, include Hoop Trundling, Hop Stop N Roll, and Fruitflex. Hoop Trundling is based off of a game with the same name that was popular as a sport during ancient times before becoming a playground game. It involves balancing a large hoop made of metal or wood on the ground and pushing it with a long stick. The mini game’s tagline states “Time for a jog! Keep the beat and jump over hoops. The key? Listen for “pa pi pu pe po” and jump on the last one.” Hop Stop N Roll is a play on the phrase “Stop, Drop, and Roll,” with the tagline reading “Help a roly-poly cat doll jump and roll to the music. Hop, hop, bumble-rumble!” Finally, in Fruitflex players must assume the role of a beach bodybuilder as they “flex those biceps and bop the fruit where they need to go. Don’t worry if some fall-there is a mat on the ground!”
Advertised multiplayer games consist of Rhythm Tweezers, Tennis Quest, and Cake Wait. Rhythm Tweezers is a game where players “take turns plucking a very hairy onion.” They must be able to “use both hands and stay sharp—it’s game over if the team fails!” In Tennis Quest, Players “work together to defeat the monsters” of a strange tennis match. Cake Wait is a timing game where players must ‘consume’ their slice of cake the second the “clock strikes three.”
Rhythm Heaven Groove is a Nintendo exclusive for both the original Switch and Switch 2. The game can be purchased as a digital edition from the Nintendo eShop, or as a physical version from other retailers. The launch trailer from the official Nintendo of America YouTube channel is available to view below.