inZOI: Complete Beginner's Guide

A practical guide to inZOI, KRAFTON's Unreal Engine 5 life sim: creating Zois, running a household, careers and businesses, the three cities, City Trips, building, creative AI tools, mods, and what changed in the September 2026 v0.10 update.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Early Access v0.10.4 (hotfix of 16 September 2026, following the v0.10.0 update of 3 September 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• It is still Early Access. inZOI launched into Early Access on Steam on 28 March 2025 (27 March in US time zones) and on Mac on 20 August 2025. No full-release date has been announced. Expect bugs, rebalances and systems that change between patches. A PS5 version is planned for early 2027.
• Buying during Early Access includes Island Getaway. The DLC with the Bali-inspired island city Cahaya comes at no extra cost if you buy during Early Access.
• Spend real time in Character Studio. Zoi creation offers 250+ customization options. Save presets you like; you'll reuse them.
• Autonomy runs the world. Zois act with free will based on personality and experiences. Tune the Autonomy options if your Zois do things you don't want (or don't do things you do want).
• Watch needs before chasing goals. A hungry, exhausted, dirty Zoi fails at work and socializing. Fix needs first.
• Careers and businesses fund everything. Get your Zoi a job early; later you can run your own business, including restaurants.
• Use Canvas. The in-game sharing platform is full of free Zois, homes and objects from other creators.
• Mods are disabled after every patch. Re-enable them after updating, and remove any that break.
• Save often and keep backups. Early Access patches can change or break older saves.

Game Status in 2026

Item | Status

Platform | Windows (Steam) Early Access since March 2025; Mac Early Access since August 2025

Console | PlayStation 5 planned for early 2027

Current version | v0.10.4 (16 September 2026)

Cities | Dowon, Bliss Bay, Cahaya

DLC | inZOI: Island Getaway (free for Early Access buyers)

Upcoming | Autonomy editing and conversation overhaul in development; "Canvastown" multiplayer mode shown as an experimental side project

The development team posts regular "Brainstorm with Kjun" updates on Steam and Discord explaining priorities. As of September 2026, the stated focus is more natural autonomy (for example customers and employees using the right seats and tools in businesses) and conversations that account for relationships and emotions.

Creating Zois

Character Studio

• Adjust face, hair, skin, physique, outfits, accessories and nail art.
• Use presets as a starting point and refine.
• Pick traits and personality carefully; they drive autonomous behavior and conversation.

Creative AI Tools

inZOI includes on-device generative tools:

• Text-to-pattern and image generation for outfits, props and furniture.
• 2D image to 3D object conversion.
• Motion creation from video you upload.
• Facial and motion capture for creating videos.

These features are demanding on hardware. If they are slow, stick to standard customization.

Needs, Mood and Autonomy

Zois have eight needs: hunger, hygiene, bathroom, fun, social, energy, sleep and recognition. They decay over time, and low needs lower mood and performance.

Tips:

• Put a fridge, bed, shower and toilet in every home before decorating.
• Cook at home to save money; cooking quality affects speed and results, and leaving cooking unattended can start a fire (v0.10).
• As of v0.10.2, hungry Zois pick meals by priority, which reduces odd food choices.

Autonomy Options

Autonomy settings control what Zois do without you. Common adjustments:

• Toggle life-changing actions like Get Married on or off.
• Limit autonomy for your active Zoi if you prefer full control.
• Leave autonomy on for the wider city to keep the community simulation lively.

Smart Zoi

Smart Zoi is inZOI's AI-driven behavior option. In v0.10, Smart Zoi interactions use context such as location, group activity and social events, and interactions chosen by a Smart Zoi are marked with a dedicated symbol. Recent hotfixes fixed Smart Zoi crashes on non-English operating systems (Windows) and problems with premium restaurants when Smart Zoi was on. If you see strange behavior, try turning it off.

Relationships and Karma

• Build relationships through conversation and shared activities. Group activities, sleepovers and knocking on doors were expanded in v0.10.
• Relationship score shows on hover over another Zoi.
• inZOI tracks Karma from your Zois' actions over their lives, and it shapes how the community simulation treats them. Play kindly or chaotically, but expect consequences.
• Rumors, trends and even disease spread through the community, so your Zoi's reputation travels.

Life Stages, Family and School

• v0.10 added dedicated baby beds and animations, and skills can carry across age groups.
• School: v0.10 added editable school uniforms (via mannequins), customizable classes, student transfers, weekend homework, notes left in lockers and prom partner notifications. A September hotfix fixed rabbit-hole school attendance being counted as an absence and a problem with afternoon exams.
• Use Switch Families to hop between households.

Money: Careers and Businesses

Careers

Get a job early for stable income. Needs and mood affect performance, so send your Zoi to work fed and rested.

Running a Business

Businesses let your Zoi own and operate a property. In v0.10:

• The full restaurant flow works: customers sit, order, get served, pay and leave.
• Recipes can be organized by category.
• You can set owner titles, work schedules and role presets for employees.
• The owner can ask a customer to leave.
• Premium (luxury) restaurants need all required business furniture placed before they can operate, and your staff wear the designated uniform.

Business tips:

• In Business Property Build Mode, place every required item before opening. Several hotfixes fixed false "Placement Required" and "Preparation Incomplete" warnings, so update if you see them.
• Keep staff schedules realistic; tired staff slow service.
• Start with a small venue before buying a premium restaurant.

Cities and City Trips

City | Inspiration | Notes

Dowon | Seoul | Dense metropolis

Bliss Bay | Santa Monica | Coastal city

Cahaya | Bali | Resort island from Island Getaway; regional holiday events and night market. Wikipedia now lists this city as Kucingku (formerly Cahaya), so the name you see in-game may differ

Editing a city lets you change weather, properties, streets and the city environment (for example a "Run-down" look).

City Trips (v0.10)

• Zois can vacation in another city, choosing companions and accommodation.
• Once checked in, your room's door permissions are exclusive to your Zois.
• Resorts offer private spa sessions, barbecue parties and beachside dining.
• Scuba diving: rent or buy a diving suit and explore underwater, collecting resources.
• Surfing: buy a surfboard and play the balance mini-game.

A September hotfix fixed companions not returning to the lodging, and another improved meal choices while on trips.

Build Mode

• Mix walls, roofs, stairs, fences, platforms and gates to create any structure.
• Decorate with objects and customize furniture.
• Use Canvas for ready-made houses if you'd rather play than build.
• The cleaning system was expanded in v0.10: Zois clean dust and mess, and hotfixes fixed roofs getting dirty and dust in uncleanable spots. Give your households cleaning tools so they don't get stuck trying.

Canvas and Sharing

Canvas is inZOI's sharing platform. Upload your Zois, homes and stories, and download other creators' work. It is the fastest way to fill a city with interesting residents or find a starter home.

Mods

• inZOI has official mod support (added May 2025).
• For stability, all mods are automatically disabled whenever the game updates. Reactivate them afterwards.
• Vehicle mods had a conflict when several were enabled at once; it was fixed in v0.10.3.
• If the game crashes after a patch, disable mods first.

Performance Tips

• inZOI is an Unreal Engine 5 game with high requirements. Lower shadows, reflections and crowd density on weaker PCs.
• Close other heavy applications, especially when using the AI creative tools.
• Keep the game updated; many hotfixes address crashes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating Early Access as final. Features and balance change frequently.
• Ignoring needs while pushing careers or relationships.
• Leaving the stove unattended. Fires are real.
• Opening a business without all required furniture.
• Forgetting mods after a patch. They are disabled by the update.
• Letting autonomy make big life decisions you didn't want. Check the autonomy options.
• Not backing up saves before major updates.

Advanced Tips

• Use presets everywhere: character presets, uniforms and work schedules save hours.
• Plan a City Trip around goals: surfing and scuba unlock new activities and resources.
• Run Smart Zoi on side characters for livelier stories, and keep manual control of your main household.
• Follow the dev updates on Steam; they often explain upcoming changes (such as autonomy editing) before they land.
• Report bugs through the inZOI forums, support page, official Discord or Steam discussions, and check the Known Issues page before assuming something is broken on your end.

FAQ

Is inZOI out of Early Access? No. As of September 2026 it is still in Early Access (version 0.10.x).

Is inZOI on consoles? Not yet. A PlayStation 5 version is planned for early 2027.

What is Island Getaway? A DLC that adds the island city Cahaya and vacation content. It is free if you buy the game during Early Access.

What is Canvastown? An experimental online mode the team previewed in September 2026, where around 50 players could share a space and take on roles in pre-made scenarios. The developers call it a side project and warn that city-building features rumored online aren't available.

Why did my mods stop working? Updates automatically disable all mods. Re-enable them in the game after patching.

What is Smart Zoi? An AI-driven behavior option that makes Zois choose context-aware interactions, marked with a special symbol.

Can my Zoi run a restaurant? Yes. Businesses, including premium restaurants, were improved in v0.10 with full customer flow, staff roles and schedules.

Sources

• inZOI on Steam
• inZOI – Wikipedia
• inZOI Steam news (v0.10.0 patch notes and hotfixes)
• Steam News API feed for inZOI