Four new musical stages for Rayman Legends Retold

Rayman and a crowned Teensy run across a red checked tablecloth, with an enormous pizza behind them and glowing Lums ahead. The musical-stage artwork for Rayman Legends Retold has a splendid sense of scale: dinner is scenery, the heroes are tiny and the route is bright enough to follow at a glance. Four new musical stages are among the additions to Ubisoft's return to its 2013 platformer.

The remake arrives on 3 December 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, developed under Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan. It combines returning levels with a sixth realm, dragon rides and a rewritten story with voiced cinematics. For someone who already knows Rayman Legends, those additions are the reason to look again. For a newcomer, there's a whole side-scrolling adventure to discover, alone or with company on the sofa.

Jump to the music

The musical stages ask you to synchronise movement with the soundtrack. Running and jumping have a beat to follow, giving these stretches a different character from exploring for hidden Teensies. Ubisoft's audio team built the musical levels around the tracks, with level designers adapting their work to the music. That is an especially appealing way to expand this game: new songs give returning players another sequence to learn through movement.

A Macarena cover joins the music, alongside an expanded score recorded with a 75-piece orchestra in Vienna. Christophe Héral returns, while Grant Kirkhope contributes darker music for the new Land of the Livid Dead realm. Ubisoft counts 43 minutes of new music in total. There is room for a familiar tune to be ridiculous and for the new destination to sound rather more ominous. The mixture suits a cast that can look perfectly at home beside both a pizza and a monster.

The new presentation keeps that sideways journey while rendering the world in 3D. Camera tilts and bends in the scenery give the stages more depth around the route you follow. The tablecloth scene is a lovely illustration: huge food crowds the background, while the line of luminous collectibles keeps your attention near the characters. If the original's illustrated world is your main attachment, this is a conspicuous change in style. The returning levels now share their space with a different sort of scenery.

A sixth realm and a cast with voices

A shadowy villain is spreading corruption through the Glade of Dreams, sending Rayman and his friends across its realms to rescue Teensies. The retold story supplies new encounters and voiced cinematics around the platforming. Rayman, Globox, Barbara, Grand Minimus and Murphy give the journey a recognisable ensemble. For newcomers, a villain and a rescue provide an easy starting point; for returning players, the cast has more to say between the familiar leaps and punches.

The sixth realm gives that journey a new destination, while dragon rides add another activity along the way. Returning levels, boss battles and hidden Teensies keep the adventure grounded in the business of moving through a stage and finding its little captives. Even collecting Lums has a musical detail to listen for: their sound effects match the tune playing at that moment. Some mechanical wheels also move to the rhythm. Those small touches give the soundtrack a place in the ordinary platforming as well as its dedicated stages.

For a more concentrated challenge, the Cave of Trials offers ongoing free challenges. It sits alongside the campaign's exploration and story, giving players who chiefly want to practise their platforming a more concentrated destination. If demanding jumps are your priority, our Aeterna Lucis preview explains its two difficulty modes. Rayman's December release brings its own challenge space alongside the main journey.

The whole adventure on the sofa

Up to four people can play the entire adventure in couch co-op. The shared journey leaves room to race for Lums, rescue friends or knock someone off course while pursuing Teensies. That mischievous edge gives the gathering a different flavour from a strictly orderly team effort. Kung Foot returns too, with improved controls, power-ups and customisable rules. There's an adventure to follow together and a separate competitive diversion for when the room fancies changing the activity.

Local play is the straightforward way to plan a group around this release: gather the people and the controllers in one room. On Switch 2, Nintendo specifies one compatible controller for each player. For friends arranging a session across different homes, our Shrek 2 Remastered preview covers its mixed local and online party. Rayman's confirmed full-adventure couch option makes it an attractive choice for a household that wants to share the same platforming journey.

The standard package also includes Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition, so the earlier adventure is part of the purchase. The Deluxe Edition adds four Retro Pack costumes and an in-game art gallery. You can therefore choose the standard edition for the two adventures, with the extra edition aimed at players who want the outfits and artwork. For a newcomer weighing up the return, having Origins included is a particularly useful part of the offer.

December's launch follows a move from the original 1 October date, with Ubisoft taking extra time for polish after the game went gold. The release is still ahead, on 3 December. The musical stages are the most immediately enticing reason to revisit this world: four more occasions to put movement to a tune, surrounded by an expanded adventure. Find a spot on the sofa, leave room for the extra controllers and prepare to run through somebody's dinner.