Rhythm Heaven Groove comes to Switch on July 2

## Summary
Nintendo A large chunk of Nintendo’s 2026 plans remain a mystery (that is, unless you take the insiders and leakers at their word ), but we have been waiting on release dates for a couple of previously announced first-party titles, including Rhythm Heaven Groove , which officially arrives July 2. Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company’s various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo’s less prolific series’, with the upcoming Groove being only the fifth entry in two decades. Rhythm Heaven Groove is notable not only for being the first Rhythm Heaven game of the Switch generation, but also likely one of the console’s last games, as Nintendo prepares to shift its full focus to the Switch 2.

## Article Content
Nintendo
A large chunk of Nintendo’s 2026 plans remain a mystery (that is, unless you take the insiders and leakers at their
word
), but we have been waiting on release dates for a couple of previously announced first-party titles, including
Rhythm Heaven Groove
, which officially arrives July 2.
Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company’s various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2. Currently the game’s Switch 2 compatibility status is listed as “Untested” on its official
store page
, but it’s hard to imagine there being any issues there.
If you’ve never played a Rhythm Heaven game before, the series is a bit like a (slightly) less wacky WarioWare, but all the minigames are based around rhythm and beat-matching. The challenges are rarely especially complex in terms of what's required of you, leaving you free to enjoy the always excellent original pop and electronic music.
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Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo’s less prolific series’, with the upcoming
Groove
being only the fifth entry in two decades. The series debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2006 in Japan as
Rhythm Tengoku
, with
Rhythm Heaven
arriving on the DS two years later in the US. That was followed by Rhythm
Heaven Fever
on the Wii, and the most recent entry was 2015’s
Rhythm Heaven Megamix
for the 3DS, which was something of a best-of collection.
Rhythm Heaven Groove
is notable not only for being the first Rhythm Heaven game of the Switch generation, but also likely one of the console’s last games, as Nintendo prepares to shift its full focus to the Switch 2. Before then we’re also getting the typically charming
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
(Switch 2-only) on May 21 and
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
, which launches on both platforms next week, April 16.
Rhythm Heaven Groove
is available to pre-order now for $40.
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- The challenges are rarely especially complex in terms of what's required of you, leaving you free to enjoy the always excellent original pop and electronic music.
- Rhythm Heaven Groove is notable not only for being the first Rhythm Heaven game of the Switch generation, but also likely one of the console’s last games, as Nintendo prepares to shift its full focus to the Switch 2.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- Seemingly announced first on the Nintendo Today! app before making its way to the company’s various social channels, the first new entry in the Rhythm Heaven series in more than a decade is technically launching on the original Switch, but should also be fully playable on Switch 2.
- Before then we’re also getting the typically charming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (Switch 2-only) on May 21 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream , which launches on both platforms next week, April 16.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers rhythm, heaven, switch topics. Notable strengths include discussion of rhythm. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 350.