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Aging and Life Span Settings - Version 10 vs Version 11
Apr 4, 2026, 10:41 AM
Add wikilinks to table cells (4 new links)
Apr 10, 2026, 09:08 PM
Fix factual inaccuracies based on audit (life stage data, day length default)
11Overview22Aging in inZOI is automatic. Zois progress through nine life stages over a total lifespan of approximately 100 in-game days at default settings. Stage transitions happen instantly: one moment a Zoi is a child, the next they are an adolescent with a different body and new abilities. There is no visible progress bar or countdown showing how close a Zoi is to aging up. Players have several tools to control aging speed: separate toggles for player and NPC Zois, a day length slider that stretches or compresses real time, simulation speed controls, and cheat commands that freeze aging entirely or prevent death.44Life Stage Durations66Each life stage lasts a fixed number of in-game days. The total from Newborn to end of Senior is approximately 100 days, though the Senior stage has some randomness in its exact length.88Life StageDuration (Days)CumulativeNotesNewborn11Only through pregnancy; not selectable in Create a ZoiToddler23Not selectable; follows Newborn automaticallyChild710Attends elementary school; develops child skillsAdolescent515Attends middle school; not selectable in Create a ZoiTeenager419Attends high school; can drive and dieYoung Adult1029Full career, university, marriage, pregnancy accessAdult2049Longest stage; full system accessMiddle-Aged1564Full career access; no unique unlocksSenior~18~82Variable length; natural death from old age possible at any point10+Life StageDuration (Days)CumulativeNotesNewborn11Only through pregnancy; not selectable in Create a ZoiToddler23Not selectable; follows Newborn automaticallyChild710Attends elementary school; develops child skillsAdolescent616Attends middle school; not selectable in Create a ZoiTeenager4.520.5Attends high school; can drive and dieYoung Adult929.5Full career, university, marriage, pregnancy accessAdult2049Longest stage; full system accessMiddle-Aged1665.5Full career access; no unique unlocksSenior~17~82.5Variable length; natural death from old age possible at any point1111Feature Unlocks by Life Stage1212Each life stage introduces or restricts specific gameplay features. The table below shows what becomes available at each transition.1414Life StageUnlocks and AbilitiesNewbornTraits assigned, family relationships formed, friendships possibleToddlerSkills begin developing, limited movement and interactionsChildValues begin forming, elementary school, smartphone access, expanded interactions, random eventsAdolescentMiddle school; acts as a transitional stage between Child and TeenagerTeenagerHigh school, driving, can die from non-natural causes, business relationshipsYoung AdultAmbitions, Desired Lives, university, full-time and part-time jobs, romantic relationships, pregnancyAdultUniversity graduation, all systems availableMiddle-AgedNo new unlocks; retains full Adult capabilitiesSeniorAutomatic retirement from careers; natural death from old age possible1616Create-a-Zoi Restrictions1717Not all life stages are available in the Create a Zoi character editor. Three stages are locked out:1919RestrictionDetailsNewborn and ToddlerThese stages only occur naturally when a Zoi has a baby. Newborns age into Toddlers automatically after 1 day.AdolescentThis transitional stage between Child and Teenager is not selectable. Adolescents only appear when a Child ages up.2121The remaining six stages (Child, Teenager, Young Adult, Adult, Middle-Aged, Senior) can be selected directly when creating a new Zoi.2222Physical Appearance Changes2424When a Zoi transitions between life stages, their physical appearance updates instantly. Body proportions, height, facial features, and skin texture all change in a single moment to reflect the new age bracket. Children grow taller when they become adolescents, teenagers develop more adult proportions upon becoming young adults, and seniors develop wrinkles and may show white or gray hair. There is no gradual transition; the body updates all at once. This instant change mirrors how games like The Sims handle aging up, though having nine stages (compared to fewer in many life simulators) makes each individual transition less jarring.2626School System2828School attendance is tied directly to life stages. Each school-age Zoi is automatically enrolled in the appropriate institution:3030Life StageSchoolNotesChildElementary School7 in-game days of attendance; develops foundational skillsAdolescentMiddle School5 in-game days; transitional educationTeenagerHigh School4 in-game days; last mandatory education stageYoung Adult+UniversityOptional; cannot hold a job simultaneously3232School schedules follow standard work hours. Zois leave home approximately 1 hour before their school day starts and return after classes end. Skipping school repeatedly can have negative consequences, similar to missing work in a career.3333Aging Settings3535Aging settings are found in Game Menu > Options > Simulation. Two separate toggles control aging independently:3737SettingWhat It ControlsAging (My Zois)Enables or disables aging for your actively played householdAging (Other Zois)Enables or disables aging for all NPC Zois in the city3939Both settings use arrow buttons to toggle between Enabled and Disabled. These options were added in the April 4, 2025 hotfix during Early Access. Before this patch, there was no way to disable aging through normal settings. The two toggles are independent, which enables several useful strategies:4040SettingDetailsFreeze your household, age the cityDisable aging for My Zois while keeping Other Zois enabled. Your family stays at their current stage indefinitely while the rest of the city continues to age naturally, keeping the world dynamic.Freeze everythingDisable both toggles to stop all aging citywide. Useful for sandbox play where you want unlimited time without any Zoi aging up or dying.Age only your householdEnable aging for My Zois but disable it for Other Zois. Your family progresses through life stages while neighbors remain fixed. Useful if you want to experience the full lifecycle without the city population shifting around you.4242Day Length4343The Length of Day setting controls how many real-world minutes equal one in-game day. It is found in the same Simulation tab as the aging toggles.4545SettingReal Time per In-Game DayFull Lifespan (Real Hours)Fastest48 minutes~66 hoursDefault96 minutes~131 hoursSlowest24 hours~1,968 hours46+SettingReal Time per In-Game DayFull Lifespan (Real Hours)Fastest48 minutes~66 hoursDefault48 minutes~131 hoursSlowest24 hours~1,968 hours4747Changing day length affects all time-based systems, not just aging. Career schedules, school attendance, seasonal transitions, and need decay rates all speed up or slow down with the day length. Shorter days mean Zois age faster but also have less real time to complete daily activities like going to work or leveling skills. Longer days give more breathing room per stage but mean each activity takes proportionally longer in real time.4848Simulation Speed5050Separate from day length, the simulation speed can be adjusted from 1x to 4x using the controls in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Higher speeds make time pass faster within the current day length setting.5252SpeedDescription1xNormal speed.2x to 4xProgressively faster; useful for waiting through work hours or sleep.5x and aboveDisables Zoi movement and autonomy. Only use for skipping large chunks of time.Pause (0)Fully pauses the simulation. Zois freeze in place and no time passes.5454When all household members are asleep, the game automatically advances at 30x speed (added in v0.3.0), fast-forwarding through the night until someone wakes up.5555Death from Old Age5757As of the April 1, 2025 hotfix (v0.1.3), only Zois in the Senior life stage can die naturally from old age. Before this change, natural death could occur at any adult life stage based on probabilistic calculations. The developers adjusted this because they felt it was important for players to have time to bond with their characters and fully immerse themselves in their stories.5959This rule applies only to natural death from aging. Non-natural deaths (fire, drowning, electrocution, starvation, sleep deprivation, car accidents, falling) can still happen at any life stage from Teenager onward. Children cannot die; if both parents die, children are sent to the Child Protection Agency.6161Cheat Commands6363Two cheat commands provide additional aging control. Open the console with Ctrl+Shift+C (cheats must be enabled first):6565CommandEffectstopAging trueFreezes all Zois at their current life stage; no one ages upstopAging falseRe-enables normal agingimmortalZoi truePrevents death entirely (both natural and non-natural)immortalZoi falseRe-enables death6767The stopAging cheat affects all Zois globally, unlike the settings toggles which separate player and NPC Zois. The immortalZoi cheat goes further by preventing all forms of death, not just age-related death. To change a specific Zoi's age directly, use the cheat console to access the age-change tool. This lets you set any playable Zoi or NPC to a different life stage, though it requires cheats to be enabled.6868Current Limitations7070LimitationDetailsNo per-stage duration controlYou cannot customize how long each individual life stage lasts. The day length slider scales all stages proportionally.No age displayThere is no way to check a Zoi's exact age or see a countdown to their next stage transition. The transition simply happens when the day count is reached.No birthday system yetThe 2026 Roadmap includes birthday celebrations and age-related events. These features are planned but not yet implemented.Instant transitionsAging up is instantaneous. There is no gradual physical change; the Zoi's body updates all at once when the stage changes.7272Upcoming Features7373The 2026 Roadmap includes several aging-related improvements under the "Fundamentals First" initiative:7575FeatureDetailsBirthday systemBirthday celebrations and age-related events for each life stage.Per-family story progressionAdjustable intensity toggles for how quickly families develop.Childcare urgesNew timed urges specifically for parents caring for young children.Expanded baby featuresInfant strollers, changing tables, high chairs, bathtubs, and bouncers.7777Tips7878If you want a long-lived Zoi without disabling aging, set the day length to the maximum (24 hours per in-game day). Each life stage will last many real-world days.Disable aging selectively: freeze your household while letting NPCs age. This keeps the world dynamic while giving you unlimited time with your main characters.Plan skill development around stage durations. Children have 7 days to max child skills. Teenagers have only 4 days before becoming Young Adults.The Senior stage is unpredictable. Save frequently once a Zoi reaches Senior age, as death can happen at any time.If you want the full lifecycle experience, start with a pregnant couple. The child will age through every stage naturally.Use the stopAging cheat for temporary pauses during important moments. You can re-enable aging afterward with stopAging false.
