This week in our Pixel Sundays article, we’re talking about a brand new franchise – inZOI. This new life sim has often been dubbed a Sims killer.

Summary

• Development history of inZOI
• Gameplay mechanics and features
• Graphics and technology – Unreal Engine 5 in action
• inZOI vs. The Sims – Revolution or repetition?
• Social interaction and AI behavior
• Release, reactions & first impressions
• Future plans – Modding, DLCs & community
• Conclusion – inZOI: A new life simulation with big potential

inZOI is a life simulation developed by inZOI Studio and published by Krafton. The game aims to redefine the life simulation genre, with The Sims as its biggest competitor.

Development history of inZOI

Development on inZOI began in early 2023 with the ambitious goal of creating a realistic and modern alternative to traditional life simulation games. The producer is Hyungjun “Kjun” Kim, and his team of programmers includes veterans who have worked on other high-quality simulation games.

To bring the idea to life, the South Korean publisher KRAFTON, best known for PUBG, founded a development studio called inZOI Studio. This studio focuses exclusively on inZOI and follows a long-term strategy. With this strategy, the game will be continuously expanded and improved over the course of the next 20 years.

The game uses Unreal Engine 5, which makes it possible to create environments and characters that are highly detailed and realistic, with advanced lighting effects and animations. This technology sets new standards for the life simulation genre and contributes greatly to the realistic gameplay experience.

During development, special focus was placed on the integration of advanced AI to make the behavior of the Zois as lifelike as possible. Zois is the name of the characters in the game. Each Zoi acts independently and is based on over 400 different mental elements. This leads to unpredictable and dynamic reactions in the game.

The developers are also in constant dialogue with players. This means community feedback is implemented, improving the game based on what players actually want – even if it’s not what the developers originally intended.

Now with the inZoi Early Access launch on March 28, 2025, a whole new phase begins for inZoi. Now every player has the chance to experience the game. And yes, the game is still in Early Access, so it’s not perfect yet. That’s why player feedback is so important – it helps shape the game during development.

Gameplay mechanics and features

Let’s talk about the most important part of any game – the gameplay. In inZOI, you start like in most games with character creation. The character creator is incredibly in-depth and allows you to create realistic characters. Besides appearance, you can also choose from 400 mental traits that influence your Zoi’s behavior.

Now in Early Access, you can choose between 3 worlds to play in. All three are inspired by real-world locations. These worlds are open and free to explore, with places like shops, restaurants, beaches, and parks. The three maps currently available are:

• Dowon: A densely populated city inspired by Seoul with urban flair.
• Bliss Bay: Inspired by Los Angeles, this world mixes beach life with urban living.
• Cahaya: Based on Indonesian vacation spots, this world features tropical scenery and a relaxed vibe.

The game offers a deep system of needs, social interactions, careers, and skills, similar to classic life sims, but with more possibilities. Zois have eight core needs: hunger, hygiene, toilet, fun, social, energy, sleep, and recognition. If you neglect these needs, it can cause problems – even the death of your character.

Social interactions between Zois are very diverse and depend on each Zoi’s unique personality traits. Relationships evolve over time and are influenced by interests, conflicts, and past interactions. A special feature in inZOI is the Karma System, where your actions impact your reputation and how other Zois react to you. Negative actions, for example, can lead to a bad reputation and consequences.

Careers in inZOI are active, meaning you actually have to do things. You’ll get tasks you need to complete yourself, and if you do well enough, you can earn a promotion and climb the career ladder.

Of course, in inZOI you can also build your own house down to the smallest detail. You are free to choose the size and number of floors, although the game recommends building no more than four stories. You can then furnish the interiors with a wide variety of furniture and decorations. Many pieces of furniture can also be customized further, for example by choosing table legs or cushions for sofas.

One of the standout features is the style editor. This allows you to change the textures of objects and clothing. You can select existing textures, upload your own image, or create one using an integrated AI and then apply the design to the object. You can also adjust the surface reflections.

There’s also the Canvas Platform. There, you can share your own creations with players from all over the world within the game. Other players can then download them and integrate them into their own world.

Graphics and Tech – Unreal Engine 5 in Action

As mentioned earlier, inZOI uses the Unreal Engine 5. This enables impressive visual quality. The locations in the game, which are inspired by real places as mentioned before, look incredibly realistic. There’s also a weather and seasonal system that is hard to beat. You can even apply screen filters to change the atmosphere of the city.

But this incredibly realistic graphics naturally come at a cost. The system requirements are quite high. So, if you have older hardware, you might experience some limitations. For example, to use the Smart Zoi feature, you’ll need a powerful Nvidia graphics card. Here are the system requirements:

inZOI vs. The Sims – Revolution or Repetition?

For years, The Sims has dominated the life simulation genre and has built up a loyal fanbase. But now inZOI is here, and naturally people are wondering if this new title brings fresh energy to the genre and perhaps even revolutionizes it.

The Sims 4 is the latest title in The Sims series. It was released in September 2014 and has since been expanded with numerous DLCs. You can read more about the entire Sims franchise in our Pixel Sundays article about The Sims. inZOI, however, enters the scene with the ambition of delivering a realistic and in-depth simulation.

To that end, inZOI has integrated many unique and innovative features into its game. None of these features are present in The Sims, which makes the game stand out. The first thing that catches everyone’s eye is the much more realistic graphics. inZOI aims for realism and looks the part, whereas The Sims has a stylized cartoon look.

inZOI makes extensive use of artificial intelligence in the game. This makes the behavior of the Zois much more realistic and unpredictable compared to The Sims. The Zois behave according to their individual personalities and life experiences. They can also make independent decisions and live their lives in a realistic way.

In InZOI, you have a lot more variety when creating your character — and I don’t just mean visually. You can define your Zoi’s personality using 400 mental traits. This allows every Zoi you create to be completely unique with its own distinct personality. It means you can create a character you truly identify with.

Thanks to all these traits and the use of AI, social interactions are nearly unpredictable. Relationships develop dynamically, and whether they succeed or fail depends on factors like interests, personal values, and even past actions. The Sims don’t go that deep — yes, they have some interests and limited traits, but the impact on relationships is much smaller.

One feature that the community specifically requested and that was added during development is vehicle driving. Yes, you can directly control cars in the game world and explore the environment from an over-the-shoulder perspective. It helps make you feel even more immersed in the world of InZOI.

While The Sims still offers a robust and familiar gameplay experience, InZOI brings fresh ideas and innovative features to the life simulation genre. The integration of AI-driven systems, advanced customization options, and deeper social interactions positions InZOI as a serious competitor and potential pioneer for future developments in this genre.

Social Interaction and AI Behavior

If you have a newer Nvidia graphics card, InZOI offers a feature called “Smart-Zoi.” When you enable this optional feature, Zois no longer follow preset rules but instead adapt their behavior based on their environment and experiences. They also learn from past experiences, creating authentic and unpredictable interactions. However, this feature requires a high-end PC, as it’s very demanding on the processor.

Zois can build relationships across different areas. There are distinctions between family, friendship, and professional connections. During conversations, you’ll have various interaction options based on your personality, mood, and the relationship status between Zois. A special highlight is the previously mentioned Karma system, which can significantly affect gameplay. Positive and negative actions influence the course of relationships and your overall social standing.

Release, Reactions & First Impressions

On March 28, 2025, KRAFTON released the life simulation game InZOI in Early Access on Steam. Before launch, it was #1 on the global Steam wishlist and reached #1 on the Steam bestsellers list within 40 minutes. The Early Access price is €39.99, and all updates and DLCs will be free until the full release.

Reviews of InZOI are generally very positive with 84% on Steam. Many praise the graphics and gameplay, while others feel the gameplay isn’t quite complete yet. Some users complain about not being able to enlarge text, others point out that the Karma system doesn’t fully work yet. And yes, that’s true — the game is still in Early Access. That’s why constructive criticism is welcome, so the developers know what to improve.

Future Plans – Modding, DLCs & Community

In the future, InZOI will receive major content updates alongside bug fixes. The developers have shared a roadmap that includes multiple free updates and DLCs planned for 2025.

• May 2025: Release of a modding kit supporting Maya and Blender, Zoi body shape customization, implementation of cheat codes, improvements to relationship mechanics, introduction of an adoption system, expansion of build mode with new furniture, plus updates to the Create-a-Zoi mode and outfits.

• August 2025: Launch of the “Kucingku, the Cat Island” DLC — a new city inspired by Southeast Asia, ability to play as a ghost, introduction of swimming and pools, expansion of the city editor, implementation of an AI-driven build mode, introduction of freelancer jobs, and improvements to texting, skills, and family relationships.

• October 2025: Introduction of a family tree system, customizable keybindings, object resizing in build mode, new furniture, improved moving interface, updates to Create-a-Zoi mode, and mod updates.

• December 2025: Implementation of a memory system, ability to move between cities, interactions based on personality traits, more build mode updates with new furniture, Create-a-Zoi updates, mod updates, new outfits, and the introduction of indoor temperature mechanics.

One of the most anticipated features is the release of the modding kit in May 2025. This opens the door for the community to create and share custom content, greatly expanding player creativity. Additionally, the team behind InZOI plans to release new content and updates for the next 20 years.

Conclusion – InZOI: A New Life Sim with Huge Potential

InZOI is a bold new title in the life simulation genre, with a clear goal: to revolutionize it. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, the game boasts stunning visual quality that no other game in the genre can currently match. Features like the Smart-Zoi system, deep personality mechanics, and style editor give the game remarkable depth and individuality.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that InZOI is still in Early Access, and therefore not free of bugs. But that’s expected to improve over time — and the future looks bright. The developers plan to support the game for 20 years with updates and DLCs that add new places and features. Community feedback will continue to play a major role in shaping its development.

Whether InZOI will truly be the Sims killer remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: it’s more than just a copy. It’s a bold attempt to reimagine the genre — and that’s exactly what makes InZOI so unique.

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