Like its predecessors, up to four players can play to mirror on-screen dance choreography from over 40 songs, as they are judged on their ability to follow a dance routine to a chosen song. Along with solo and duet modes, Just Dance 3 features a Dance Crew mode which allows 4 players to dance together, each with their own unique choreography, as well as playlists that group songs into different categories. Players can unlock gifts such as new songs, game modes, as well as Dance Mashups which combines different dance routines in this game and the second Just Dance game into one song. Returning features in the game include Non-Stop Shuffle, Speed Shuffle, and Just Sweat Mode.
The Wii and PlayStation 3 versions have a Hold My Hand dance mode, where up to 8 players can share 4 Wii Remotes or PlayStation Move controllers to dance. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions also have a karaoke feature that uses the PlayStation Eye's microphone and the Kinect's voice recognition function, respectively, to sing along to the lyrics on-screen. The 360 version also has a Just Create mode in which players can create their own routines with the Kinect. They can be saved, shared with their friends online and be played just like any other Just Dance routine.