Great graphics, strong creative tools – but the actual simulation still feels like an afterthought.
On paper, inZOI has everything it needs to become a serious competitor in the life sim genre: a detailed character creator, modern graphics, and a sleek, intuitive build mode. It’s stylish, polished, and clearly made with a lot of ambition. But once you move past the surface, you quickly notice what’s missing: life.
A Beautiful Shell With No Center
One Steam review sums up the current state of inZOI perfectly: “Reading any text in this game is like reading an email from HR written by ChatGPT.” That artificial, disconnected feeling runs through the entire experience. The game doesn’t really know what tone it’s aiming for, and instead defaults to something sterile and corporate – slick on the outside, strangely hollow inside.
What’s more frustrating is that the basic systems simply don’t feel finished. Skills don’t matter. Activities lack depth. You can stand in one spot watering the same tomato plant over and over to max out gardening. Cooking? One plate at a time, followed by washing a single dish. Everything is slow, mechanical, and oddly detached from any sense of realism or flow.
Social interactions don’t fare much better. There’s no way to casually hang out or spend time together organically. Most interactions are locked behind stiff menus. Romantic events lack detail or emotional weight, and relationship progression is wildly fast – faster even than in The Sims, and somehow less meaningful. It all feels like placeholder systems waiting to be replaced.
Made For Builders, Not Storytellers
That said, inZOI does have its strengths. Builders and visual designers will find a lot to enjoy here. The recent patch added 175 new build items, more furniture categories, and better camera tools. There’s a lot of room for creativity if your focus is on aesthetics, not gameplay.
But here’s the thing: inZOI is aiming directly at The Sims audience. And that audience expects more than just a pretty sandbox – they want systems that support storytelling, character dynamics, long-term progression, and emotional engagement. Right now, inZOI doesn’t offer that. At least, not yet.
The Latest Update Changes The Equation
Krafton released a substantial update on June 13 that might mark a turning point. It includes some quality-of-life changes, new relationship features – and most importantly, official modding support.
The new inZOI ModKit opens the door to community-made content. Players can now create custom outfits, furniture, and even modify game rules. There’s a guided UI for beginners, plugin support for Blender and Maya, and built-in sharing via CurseForge. For a life sim still trying to find its identity, this kind of community infrastructure could be a game-changer.
Get a glimpse of what's new in June Update (v.0.2.0)!Accessories like glasses, headpieces, and earrings can now be freely resized and repositioned. This allows for more precise and flexible styling than ever before.Updates open up more ways to create stories - with new... pic.twitter.com/qe9NBo2EID
— inZOI (@PlayinZOI) June 12, 2025
There’s also progress on the gameplay side: adoption, non-marital childbirth, teen romance, emotional texting, gift-giving, Zois visiting unannounced – things that make the world feel more responsive and lived-in. Players can now define gender identity and romantic preferences more freely, and relationship dynamics change more noticeably over time. It’s not a complete overhaul, but it is a step toward the kind of simulation depth fans have been asking for.
Where We Are Now
inZOI is still in Early Access, and that shows. The core of the simulation feels underdeveloped, and it lacks the player-driven storytelling that makes life sims compelling. But with this latest patch, the game is starting to show signs of growth. It’s listening to feedback, expanding features, and giving players more control.
It’s still sitting at around 3.5 stars on Steam – and that’s fair. But the recent update gives reason to be cautiously optimistic. If Krafton keeps building on these improvements and continues supporting modding and gameplay expansion, inZOI could eventually become the life sim it wants to be.