Revision 6

inZOI uses a save system that supports both manual saves and configurable auto-saves. Players can maintain multiple save files for different households and cities, allowing them to experiment with different playstyles without losing progress. Each save file stores the complete game state, including Zoi attributes, Relationships, Skills progress, lot configurations, and world state.

Saving Your Game

Manual saves can be triggered at almost any time through the game menu (press Esc > Save). The save option may be greyed out during certain events, cutscenes, or timed actions; you must wait for the action to complete before saving.

Auto-Save

The auto-save system uses 3 rolling slots (AutoSave_1, AutoSave_2, AutoSave_3). The game cycles through these slots in order, overwriting the oldest auto-save each cycle. This means you always have up to three recent auto-save recovery points.

Auto-save settings are found under Esc > Options > Gameplay > Save:

Auto-save works during regular gameplay, Create a Zoi mode, and Build Mode. Setting the interval to 5 minutes is recommended for players who experience frequent crashes, at the cost of slightly more frequent brief pauses.

Save File Locations

Windows

Quick access: paste %USERPROFILE%\Documents\inZOI\SaveGames into File Explorer's address bar. The AppData folder is hidden by default; enable "Show hidden items" in File Explorer's View settings to access it. "Blue Client" is inZOI's internal development name.

macOS

Access via Finder > Documents > inZOI > SaveGames, or press Cmd+Shift+G and paste the path. The Steam and Mac App Store versions are independent products with separate save locations.

Save File Format

Each save consists of several files within a save folder:

All three core files (.b1, .b2, .thumbnail) must be created simultaneously for a valid save. The portrait PNGs are functionally important, not just cosmetic; they help the game validate saves and link character data. The internal structure of .b1 and .b2 files has not been publicly documented by the developers.

Individual save files are approximately 6 MB in size for local saves. Photos are stored separately (in the Photos folder), which keeps save file sizes small compared to similar life simulation games.

Multiple Save Files

Save files are per-world, not per-household. Each save contains an entire city with all its households, NPCs, and world state. If you want to play in multiple cities, each requires its own save file. Saves are named after the initial Zoi's surname by default, but "Save As" allows custom naming.

You can populate a single city with multiple custom families using the Edit City mode (click the hand icon, select a household, press "Play Household") and switch between them within the same save. Inactive households continue to simulate in the background. There does not appear to be a hard limit on the number of custom-named saves; storage is constrained only by available disk space.

Steam Cloud

Steam Cloud is supported and enabled by default. Save files are automatically synced when using the same Steam account across devices. Cloud saves can be disabled in Steam's per-game properties (right-click game > Properties > General > uncheck Steam Cloud).

Known Steam Cloud issues:

• Mac/Windows compatibility: Saves created on Mac may trigger a compatibility warning when loaded on Windows after certain updates, due to version number mismatches between platforms

• Sync corruption: Steam Cloud sync can occasionally cause save corruption when .b1 and .b2 files are synced at different timestamps. Some players recommend disabling Steam Cloud and saving locally to avoid this

Backing Up Save Files

The official inZOI Help Center recommends this backup procedure:

1. Close the game completely before backing up

2. Navigate to the SaveGames folder (see file locations above)

3. Copy the desired save folder(s) to a safe location (USB drive, external hard drive, or cloud storage)

4. To restore, copy the backed-up folder(s) back to the SaveGames directory

5. If using Steam Cloud, be prepared to handle sync conflicts when restoring manually

Transferring Saves Between Platforms

Saves can be transferred between Windows and macOS via manual file copy:

1. Close the game on the source computer

2. Copy the save folder from the source SaveGames directory

3. Transfer via USB drive or cloud storage

4. Paste into the destination SaveGames directory (see macOS paths above)

5. Launch the game; the save should appear in the load menu

Cross-platform transfers may trigger compatibility warnings after certain updates. Automatic transfer via Steam Cloud works only between machines using the same Steam account on the same platform.

Save Corruption

Save corruption can occur in several situations. Below are the known causes and their fixes:

The corruption error message reads: "Save Data Corrupted. Corrupted save data cannot be played or recovered. (ErrorCode: FileNotFound)." Running the game as administrator (right-click > Properties > Compatibility > Run as administrator) can help in some cases.

Crash Recovery

If the game crashes unexpectedly, any progress since the last save (manual or auto-save) is lost. The 3-slot auto-save rotation provides a safety net: if the most recent auto-save was corrupted by the crash, you can load one of the two older auto-save slots. Community recommendation: set auto-save to every 5 minutes and manually save after significant events (weddings, life milestones, completing a build).

Save-Related Patch History

All major updates (v0.2 through v0.6) maintain backward compatibility with existing save files.

Tips

• Save before risky decisions: Use "Save As" to create a named checkpoint before important life events, career changes, or risky actions. This lets you reload if things go wrong

• Set auto-save to 5 minutes: If your system is prone to crashes, the 5-minute interval provides the best safety net at the cost of slightly more frequent brief pauses

• Back up regularly: Copy your SaveGames folder to an external location periodically. Save corruption, while uncommon, can result in complete data loss

• Avoid special characters in Windows username: If you encounter repeated save failures, check whether your Windows username contains spaces, &, or non-English characters

• Disable Steam Cloud if experiencing corruption: Local-only saves avoid the sync-related corruption issues that some players have reported

• Photos are separate: In-game photos are saved to the Photos folder, not inside save files. Deleting a save does not delete your photos, and vice versa