Rhythm Heaven Groove
About
Overview
Rhythm Heaven Groove is a 2026 rhythm game for Nintendo Switch. It is known as Rhythm Paradise Groove in PAL regions and Rhythm Tengoku: Miracle Stars in Asia. The game is the fifth installment in the Rhythm Heaven series, following Rhythm Heaven Megamix for Nintendo 3DS.
Groove is built around a collection of rhythm minigames where players press buttons in time with music, with audio cues playing a central role. It includes 80 single-player rhythm minigames and 30 multiplayer minigames. The game also includes Beatspell, an RPG-like story mode where rhythm and button combinations are used to cast spells and defeat monsters.
The music was composed by Japanese musician and longtime series composer Tsunku. The soundtrack also features vocals by guest artists including Yui Sakurai and Ado.
Gameplay
Rhythm Heaven Groove follows the style of earlier Rhythm Heaven games, asking players to complete short rhythm challenges in time with the music. Visual cues are present, but players are encouraged to follow the beat by listening.
The 80 single-player rhythm minigames are arranged into sixteen sets of five. Each set contains four rhythm minigames and one Remix based on the games in that set. The final set contains five Remixes using rhythm minigames from earlier sets.
After each minigame, the game gives a ranking across three broad performance categories. Passing allows progress to the next level, while exceptional performance awards a medal that can unlock extra content and Beatspell stages. Levels cleared with the highest ranks can also be selected for Perfect runs, where players have three attempts to finish without mistakes. Successful Perfect runs unlock bonus items such as comics and stories, and repeated Perfect clears can unlock Night Mode, which removes visuals and requires players to rely only on audio cues.
Multiplayer includes 30 minigames across 10 unique games, with cooperative and competitive options and three difficulty levels each. The game also features text-to-speech accessibility for blind and visually impaired players, with on-screen text and audio descriptions read aloud by Li'l Miss Reeds.
Setting
In Beatspell, a magician named Yu awakens in a cave with no memory of her identity. A voice from outside the cave teaches her to perform magical spells by gesturing in rhythm, then instructs her to battle monsters in the cave to stop them from reaching the kingdom's castle.
Release
Rhythm Heaven Groove was developed by Nintendo EPD and TNX, and published by Nintendo. It was released worldwide for Nintendo Switch on July 2, 2026, marking the first new Rhythm Heaven entry in over a decade. As of September 13, 2026, it had sold over 1 million physical copies in Japan.