If You Love The Sims, inZOI Could Be Your Next Fave Game — With Some Big Changes

There’s a lot to love — and hate — about The Sims. The lore and chaotic gameplay keep you tuned in, while the expensive downloadable content (DLCs) and constant bugs are certainly turnoffs. Nevertheless, the game has held a monopoly on the life simulation genre since 2000, and for good reason. The Sims uniquely tapped into open-ended gameplay, custom characterization, and social simulations in ways previous sandbox games never had. Not to mention, it evolved with the times, paving way for older Simmers and newer ones to stay engaged. It’s a no-brainer why developers have been trying to dethrone The Sims for years. And while most have been unsuccessful (sorry, Life by You), the game inZOI might finally be the title to take The Sims’ crown — but just not yet. 

The ultrarealistic game from Krafton (the same studio behind the megapopular battle royale game PUBG) first made headlines last year when it released its custom character demo. I’ll be the first one to say: the features looked impressive. A little too realistic for my taste, but I admired the level of detail and finetuning. After the demo dropped, former Simmers took to Reddit and TikTok to declare 2025 as the end of The Sims era. I took these claims with a grain of salt, and I’m glad I did. As someone who’s played over 10 hours of early access, I have to be frank. inZOI is great — and has a lot of impressive features that outdo The Sims — but it is not the Hail Mary many gamers believe it to be. 

I have my own problems with The Sims’ parent company EA, and I’ll be the first one to say that. The video game conglomerate has milked Simmers dry, charging $50 for expansion packs that add basic features like seasons, schools, and beaches to the game. Sims 4 is like an empty wasteland unless you spend an arm and leg. 

But inZOI’s early access version, which is available March 28 on Steam, isn’t miles better either. Sure, its $40 price tag is extremely nice and Krafton has promised that all of its already planned downloadable content will be free until the full game is released. The studio has already announced that we can expect a new “cat island” city, trait-based interactions, and swimming in pools and oceans. But — and please don’t take my words lightly — inZOI as it currently stands leaves much to be desired. 

Let’s first talk about creating your Zoi aka the official name of your playable characters. Almost every facial and body feature can be finetuned in create mode. There’s a color wheel (like the one in Sims 3) where you can select a custom color for just about anything, from hair to irises and even attire. The available clothing options are minimal and basic, but you can customize the textures, patterns, and designs to hone in on your (or your Zoi’s) personal aesthetic. It’s like you’re a mini fashion designer, adding frills and colors, shortening sleeves and necklines, to give your Zoi their own personality and sense of style.

The makeup is where things get interesting. Similar to clothes, very few options exist, but you can individually tweak your contour, highlight, blush, and eyeshadow. Think of it as doing your own makeup, building your contour so it defines your cheekbones just right. Adding layers of blush and bronzer to get that sunny glow look. Taking basic eyeshadow to extreme with pops of bright blues and vibrant pinks. Honestly, the makeup is the *best* part of character creation and outshines The Sims in every way. 

Outside of that, the create mode is just bleh. There are very few textured hairstyles for Black Zois. You have a braided ponytail, a short curly afro, and some buzzcuts. Other than that? Nada. Black gamers have been demanding character representation for years. So have plus-sized gamers. Having a 2025 game launch with a handful (and that’s pushing it, tbh) of Black hairstyles and zero plus-sized presentation is more than disappointing, especially since Krafton promised to add more inclusivity to the game after complaints emerged around the lack of diversity during last year’s demo.

Furthermore, the premise of inZOI is realism, but there’s only so much real you can get with the game’s limitations. For example, you can’t mix and match your makeup and hair to whatever outfit you’re wearing. Your Zoi is wearing the same hairstyle and makeup look for partywear, businesswear, and sleepwear. I don’t rock a full face of baddie makeup and a 3a curly wig to bed every night so neither should my Zoi. 

As for the build-and-buy mode where you create your home and decorate it, it took me some time to familiarize myself with the controls. The game’s user interface isn’t exactly intuitive and can be hard to navigate with the many expandable folders and menus. But once I got the hang of things, decorating my first house was seamless. A bit tiresome, though. inZOI allows you to customize everything, from the wood grain of your chair legs to the texture of the pillows and linen on your bed. It’s a dream come true for decorators — and for some players, this can be their entire game experience — but as a longtime Simmer who mostly enjoys the actual gameplay, I was over it. And the gameplay is where things went absolutely downhill. 

The truth is… inZOI is kind of boring. And, yes, The Sims can be boring too (hence why my folders are stuffed with modifications — player-made content that spices up the game — that bring more chaos, unpredictability, and realism), but inZOI currently isn’t moddable. At least, until early this May. Even without mods though, The Sims is still quirky and weird with endless opportunities to do the craziest things which makes playing fun and super low-stakes. 

My Zoi has full autonomy, meaning she doesn’t rely on me to make her talk to someone or make dinner — which is what you want from a life simulation game! The more autonomy you have, the crazier and more absurd the stories become. Usually, in The Sims, the more autonomy you allow, the crazier your character becomes. But my Zoi doesn’t do anything aside from cleaning and reading a book. Even after taking her out of the house and onto the boardwalk, she just stands there. Any interaction I kick off stops once I stop actively controlling her. That’s not all — the other Zois don’t autonomously approach or interact with her either. I tried to cultivate relationships, but after I stop selecting chat options, the Zoi walks off (or my Zoi does). 

It just feels like I have to control everything for something to happen. And that’s lousy gameplay for a life simulation game. The greatest feature about The Sims is the unpredictability and inZOI doesn’t have that (yet). 

Furthermore, certain game features are off. I went through one in-game day after 10 hours of IRL gameplay. That’s how slow time passes. There are super-speed options (which are still too slow, imo), but I can’t have a conversation with another Zoi or cook a meal at two-times the speed. Maybe the slow time wouldn’t bother me if there was actually *something* to do. 

I thought drama would kick off once my Zoi goes to work. Unlike The Sims, inZOI developers promised the game would be open world, which would eliminate most rabbit holes (where tasks and activities occur off screen). But when my Zoi went to work, I didn’t follow along. Rabbit holes don’t bother me too much — lord knows The Sims has too many of them — but with the in-game timing being so slow, I spent 10 minutes of real time scrolling on TikTok before my Zoi got off work. At that point, I was so done with the game that I saved and quit. 

I know this reads as: Here are all the things that are wrong with inZOI. But the truth is the game is more than fine and affordable, especially since the developers have already announced a 2025 roadmap that explains what customers can expect for gameplay and updates later this year. Plus, let’s not forget how barren The Sims 4 was when it first launched in 2014. Its base game was also priced at $40 but didn’t include half of the in-game features (like weather and schools!) inZOI did. And sure as hell, EA never gave away any free DLCs. 

inZOI certainly has a lot to offer for gamers who prefer decorating homes and buildings and creating semi-realistic characters. But for those of us who like playing generations, building careers, or just doing chaotic shit for the fun of it? This isn’t the game for you just yet. 

Don’t go into inZOI thinking it’s the next Sims because it’s not. As it stands at early access launch, it’s an imperfect game that’s mostly style and glamor and little substance with plenty of minor bugs (like flashing buildings, disappearing items, and sometimes a non-English user interface). Perhaps, inZOI will improve and live up to its hype, but for right now, it's just another game that made too many promises and fell short.