Dance Central 3 is a 2012 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and Backbone Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 Kinect. It is the sequel to Dance Central 2 (2011) and the third installment in the Dance Central series. It was released on October 16, 2012, in the Americas, and October 19 everywhere else.^[1]

A sequel to the game, titled Dance Central Spotlight, was released for the Xbox One Kinect on September 2, 2014.

The core gameplay for Dance Central 3 follows the same formula as the previous games in the series. One or two players must mimic what the dancer is doing on the screen with Flashcards for guidance, players earn points depending on how well they perform each move, and their score determines how many Stars they earn.

Dance Central 3 features a new mode called Crew Throwdown. In this mode, 2-8 players compete against each other. After each team poses for a crew photo, the game will choose a song and one of the four types of modes to play it in. Those modes are:

• Perform: A standard mode where players dance to the routine. Occasionally, the game will stop counting points for one player and focus on the other. A minigame called "Free For All", in which players are given random moves and compete to perform them first, can appear in during a routine, and "Strike A Pose" can appear after routines.
• Keep The Beat: A freestyle-esque mini-game where players stay in beat to the song for points. Consecutive positive ratings and more unique moves will give the players more points.
• Strike A Pose: A minigame where players mimic the poses the characters are doing for points. Performing more moves in a row increases the number of points players can get. If a player misses a pose, they have to wait for a short period of time before they can start posing again.
• Showdown: This mode functions the same way as Perform with the exception of who plays against who. In this final round, as opposed to the game choosing someone from each team, any player from each team can face off against each other.

The game also has a new Live Challenge feature. In this mode, players can compete to beat scores set by other players connected to Xbox Live.

Additionally, the game features a new level system. Points are given based on number of Stars earned in a song. Players can also earn bonus points by playing harder songs and routines, playing new songs, passing gold moves, passing 100% of the routine's moves, and completing story milestones. Leveling up rewards the player with unlockables, specifically new outfits and new characters.

The player is recruited into Dance Central Intelligence (DCI) by Rasa and Lima to stop Dr. Tan's plans of world domination. Having received intel that he is using dance moves from the last five decades as a part of his plans, DCI has sent dance crews back in time in order to learn these moves in order to use them against him. As part of their mission, the player time travels to find these crews and return them back to the present by learning the dance craze of their decade. This is done by collecting Power Moves found in routines and putting them together to unlock a new routine based on the craze. Additionally, they must dance enough to power Boomy, a boombox enabling them to time travel, in order to travel back to the present. Dr. Tan's armies have spread to the point where the DCI headquarters are the only safe place left, so it is imperative that the crews are brought back as soon as possible.

The player travels to the seventies to meet Lu$h Crew and learn the Hustle, the eighties to meet Hi-Def and learn the Electric Slide, the nineties to meet Flash4wrd and learn the Macarena, and the 2000s to meet Riptide and learn the Cupid Shuffle. In the meantime, DCI investigated the head devices that members of Dr. Tan's army are wearing in search of countermeasures. Additionally, Dare and MacCoy, two DCI agents who had gone missing, were found, albeit as a part of Dr. Tan's army via mind control. While the player is in the 2000s, DCI is attacked by Dr. Tan's army, and when they come back, Emilia and Bodie are forcefully taken away. They, along with all the other crews brought to DCI HQ, were revealed to have been sent to the prehistoric era by Dr. Tan. After freeing Rasa and Lima from his mind control, the analysis on their head devices finishes and reveals their weakness: creative expression. After learning that the craze of the 2010s is the Scream, the player then time travels to the future, where Dr. Tan seeks to dominate the world by controlling everyone's dance moves. He, his new robots, and his mind-controlled son Oblio are defeated by the player in a dance battle using the crazes they previously learned. With the encouragement of a now liberated Oblio, they trap Dr. Tan in the time stream with freestyle dancing and return to DCI HQ.

While the player was battling Dr. Tan in the future, all the dance crews were rescued and brought back to the present, including Dare and MacCoy.

Dance Central 3 features returning characters from previous Dance Central games as well as new characters. Like in Dance Central 2, characters are divided into pairs as crews. Each crew featured in the story campaign also has a venue associated with them. There are 20 characters total, with 10 being available from the start and 10 being unlockables.

• Dance Central Intelligence (DCI): Includes Rasa and Lima, two new characters. Their associated venue is DCI HQ.
• Lu$h Crew: Includes Miss Aubrey and Angel. Their associated venue is Free Skate.
• Hi-Def: Includes Mo and Glitch. Their associated venue is Toprock Ave.
• Flash4wrd: Includes Taye and Li'l T. Their associated venue is Invite Only.
• Riptide: Includes Emilia and Bodie. Their associated venue is Studio 675.
• D-Coy: Includes Dare and MacCoy. Unlockable by completing story mode.
• The Glitterati: Includes Kerith and Jaryn. Unlockable by leveling up.
• Murder of Crows (M.O.C.): Includes Dr. Tan and Oblio. Their associated venue is Crow's Nest. Unlockable by leveling up.
• Icon Crew: Includes Marcos and Frenchy. Unlockable by leveling up.
• Ninja Crew: Includes Shinju and Kichi. Unlockable by leveling up.
• D-Cypher: Includes CYPH-56 and CYPH-78. Unlockable by leveling up

Most characters have two alternative outfits that can be unlocked by leveling up, one being their Crew Look from their appearances in previous Dance Central games and the other being their DCI Agent outfit. Additionally, most characters who appeared in the first Dance Central game have an extra DC Classic outfit based on their appearances in said game.

During the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Dance Central 3 for "Family Game of the Year".^[7]