Just Dance 4 is the fourth main game in the dancing series where players are rated for their ability to mimic dance routines to popular songs. On the Wii platforms movement is tracked through the Wii Remote, for Xbox 360 through the Kinect peripheral and for the PlayStation 3 through the PlayStation Eye camera with optional support for the Move peripheral.

Compared to the previous version the difficulty levels have been removed as well as the option to do a quick dance to get through a song more rapidly. Also axed are various game modes such as Simon says, medley, speed shuffle, playlists, just create and 8-player. It is also no longer possible to create custom dance routines. New to the series are the dance quests where six missions are provided for a single song. By completing them mojo points, the in-game currency, are earned. On all platforms except for Xbox 360 players can create dancer cards as a profile for favorite songs, best scores and completed challenges. Just like the previous games variations on songs can be unlocked. The sweat mode from the previous game that counts calories has been developed into a fitness-like program with a different focus for each routine and they can last up to 40 minutes. It also includes warm-up and cool-down moments. Other game modes are the battle mode and dance mash-up mode. For platforms with a camera the new autodance feature records moment of the gameplay and mixes into a video.

Exclusive to the Wii U version is the puppet master mode where the GamePad is used to manipulate visuals, playlists and moves on the fly for up to four other players. It can also be used to write on the screen and to record pictures and videos. For all platforms additional songs are offered as DLC. The base game contains about 50 tracks, with variations based on the platform and the region. Some of the included artists are Christina Aguilera, Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Rihanna, Jessie J, Flo Rida, Carrie Underwood, Elvis Presley, Ricky Martin, Nelly Furtado, Rick Astley, Britney Spears, Pink and Skrillex.