Nintendo Confirms Rhythm Heaven Groove Release Date for July A large portion of Nintendo’s 2026 roadmap is still unknown, but the company has finally locked in a date for one of its previously announced first-party games. Rhythm Heaven Groove is officially launching on July 2. The announcement appeared first on the Nintendo Today app before spreading to the company’s social media channels. This marks the first entirely new entry in the quirky rhythm series in over a decade. While the game is technically launching for the original Nintendo Switch, it is expected to be fully playable on the upcoming Switch 2. The official store page currently lists Switch 2 compatibility as Untested, but significant issues seem unlikely. For the uninitiated, the Rhythm Heaven series is a collection of rhythm-based minigames, often compared to a slightly less chaotic WarioWare. The gameplay focuses on beat-matching and timing to catchy original pop and electronic music, with inputs that are simple to learn but challenging to master. Rhythm Heaven is one of Nintendo’s smaller franchises, with Groove representing only the fifth core entry in twenty years. The series began in 2006 in Japan on the Game Boy Advance as Rhythm Tengoku. It reached Western audiences with Rhythm Heaven on the Nintendo DS in 2008, followed by Rhythm Heaven Fever on the Wii. The most recent release was 2015’s Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the Nintendo 3DS, a greatest-hits compilation. Rhythm Heaven Groove is significant not just as a series revival, but also as one of the final first-party releases for the original Switch as Nintendo pivots its development focus to the Switch 2. Before its July arrival, Nintendo will release the Switch 2-exclusive Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on May 21. The social simulation game Tomodachi Life Living the Dream is also launching next week on April 16 for both Switch platforms. Rhythm Heaven Groove is available for pre-order now at a price of forty dollars.
