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Reception and Reviews
February 21, 2026 at 07:28 PM
Initial version
inZOI launched in Early Access on Steam on March 28, 2025 at $39.99 USD. The launch was one of the biggest for a life simulation game in years:
The game ranked #1 on Steam's Global Top Wishlists the day before release.
It reached #1 on Steam's Global Top Sellers (by revenue) within 40 minutes of going live.
Peak concurrent players hit 87,377 on launch day.
Over 1.2 million players interacted with Canvas on launch day.
By April 4, 2025 — one week after launch — KRAFTON announced the game had surpassed 1 million copies sold, making it the company's fastest-selling title ever.
KRAFTON branded inZOI a "long-term franchise" following the sales performance and committed to all updates remaining free through the Early Access period.
At launch, Steam reviews were 86% positive ("Very Positive") based on approximately 2,700 reviews. Players praised the depth of character creation, the visual fidelity of Unreal Engine 5, and the ambition of the Smart Zoi AI system.
Over the following months, the review score trended downward as players encountered issues typical of Early Access: bugs, performance problems on mid-range hardware, content gaps compared to established life sims, and limited gameplay depth in some areas (thin career content, basic baby/toddler interactions, lack of pets). The review rating gradually shifted from Very Positive toward mixed territory as the player base grew and expectations sharpened.
Concurrent player counts followed a steep decline after the launch spike. Within roughly three months, daily concurrent players on Steam dropped from the 87,377 launch peak to approximately 1,500 — a decline of about 98%. This pattern is not unusual for single-player games with no competitive or social hooks, but it was amplified by Early Access content limitations.
Major updates brought player spikes. The Island Getaway DLC in August 2025 and the v0.5.0 update in December 2025 (which added business ownership and the crime system) both drew players back temporarily. The 2026 Roadmap announcement in late December was well received by the community, suggesting that long-term interest in the game's potential remains high even as daily player counts stay modest.
Shortly after launch, community discussion focused on inZOI's use of generative AI. The game includes several AI-powered tools — AI Texture (text-to-pattern generation for clothing and furniture), the 3D Printer (image-to-3D object conversion), and Smart Zoi (AI-driven autonomous NPC behavior). Some players and outlets raised concerns that these models might be trained on third-party work without consent.
KRAFTON responded publicly on the official @PlayinZOI account and on Steam, stating: "All AI features within inZOI utilize proprietary models developed by KRAFTON and are trained using solely company-owned and copyright issue-free assets and data." They also confirmed that all AI runs on-device (no cloud processing). The response split the community — some appreciated the transparency and approved of the self-contained approach, while others remained opposed to generative AI in games on principle.
Character creation depth: Over 250 parameters, widely regarded as the most detailed character creator in any life sim. The ability to fine-tune individual facial features, sleeve lengths, and nail art resonated with the creative community.
Visual quality: Unreal Engine 5 with Hardware Lumen produces lighting and character rendering well above the genre standard. Screenshots and Canvas shares went viral on social media during the launch window.
Smart Zoi ambition: The NVIDIA ACE-powered AI system, with visible inner thoughts and autonomous scheduling, was praised as genuinely novel — even by players who encountered bugs with it.
Free updates: KRAFTON's commitment to free DLC and updates during Early Access was well received, especially given the life simulation genre's history of paid expansion packs.
Korean cultural identity: Dowon's Seoul-inspired setting and the Idol career path gave the game a distinct identity.
Performance: Unreal Engine 5's hardware demands meant many mid-range PCs struggled to maintain stable framerates. Smart Zoi's GPU requirements further limited accessibility.
Content depth: Compared to games with 20+ years of content updates, inZOI launched with thinner career content, limited baby/toddler interactions, and no pets.
Bugs: Early Access bugs included Zois getting stuck in geometry, broken pathfinding, schedule failures, and occasional crashes. The quality improved with each update.
Smart Zoi limitations: The AI system was labeled experimental and had known issues — thought bubbles disappearing, late-night schedule failures, and lag with multiple Zois. It also required an NVIDIA RTX GPU, excluding AMD users.
Generative AI concerns: Even after KRAFTON's clarification, a segment of the player base remained uncomfortable with AI texture generation and 3D printing features.
inZOI received widespread coverage as the first genuine competitor to EA's The Sims franchise. Publications including PC Gamer, The Gamer, GameRant, and Sims Community covered the game extensively. The narrative centered on whether a Korean studio could break a 25-year monopoly in the life simulation genre. The strong first-week sales gave credibility to the idea, while the post-launch player retention drop tempered expectations.
The macOS announcement at Apple WWDC 2025 by Craig Federighi brought additional attention outside the core gaming audience. The PS5 announcement in August 2025 was covered by mainstream outlets including PlayStation LifeStyle, Newsweek, and Game Informer.
inZOI's reception cannot be separated from its position relative to The Sims 4, which has been the dominant life simulation game since 2014. Many reviewers and players framed inZOI as a check on EA's pricing model — The Sims 4 charges separately for expansion packs, while inZOI includes all Early Access content for a flat $39.99. The visual quality gap between the two games is significant, with inZOI's Unreal Engine 5 foundation producing noticeably more detailed graphics. However, The Sims 4's decade of content updates means it still offers more raw gameplay variety.
