4thMix is unusual in that it is the only game in the series where Boo steps do not deplete the dance gauge.

They also get a letter grade that is dependent on the judgments received during play, ranging from "AA" (all steps Perfect) to D (failure, only seen in Versus mode when the other player passes).

If the player manages to pass his or her songs, a cumulative results screen is given, totaling the stats from all played stages.

As an added challenge, the steps rise from the middle of the screen, and drift to either player's side while continuing upwards.

The free downloads consisted of additional dancing character that were displayed during game play.

Konamix was released in North America and consisted of 52 Konami original tracks, produced by the company's in-house music staff.

Party Edition was released in Europe and included 46 of the Konami original tracks found on Konamix, plus five exclusive new licenses.

These releases omit freeze arrows and include fewer songs than their PlayStation 2 counterparts.

Two songs, which are remixes of "Rhythm and Police" and "Synchronized Love", returned exclusively in the Dance Dance Revolution Extreme arcade game in Japan and the DDRMAX PlayStation 2 game in North America.

Two other songs, "Celebrate Nite" and "Sexy Planet", are Naoki Maeda compositions that premiered in Dancing Stage featuring True Kiss Destination and returned in DDR Solo 2000.

All of the 18 new licenses in 5thMix, plus the two long versions of Konami originals, do not return in subsequent DDR arcade releases.

[citation needed] The PlayStation version of Dancing Stage Party Edition received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[6] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.