Revision 5

Overview

Criminal careers were introduced in the v0.5.0 update (December 2025), adding two underground organizations for Zois who choose a life of crime. These are among the highest-paying career paths in inZOI, with the Boss position earning 2,169 Meow per day. However, criminal careers come with significant risks including arrest through the Trial and Justice System and negative karma consequences. Both career paths are rabbit hole jobs, meaning the Zoi disappears into the workplace during their shift rather than being directly controlled.

Criminal careers are available to Young Adult, Adult, and Middle-Aged Zois. Teenagers and children cannot apply.

Criminal Organizations

Two criminal organizations operate in different cities, each with its own three-tier promotion structure. Both share the same salary range and schedule: 3 days per week, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Dowon Solutions (Street Soldier Career)

Based in Dowon, Dowon Solutions operates as a front for criminal activities in the metropolitan area. The career title for this path is Street Soldier.

Westside Hustler (Gangster Career)

Operating out of Bliss Bay, the Westside Hustler is the coastal city's criminal outfit. The career title for this path is Gangster.

Career Comparison

What Happens During Work

As rabbit hole careers, Zois are not directly controlled during their shift. Community reports describe the criminal workday as involving a taxi-based mechanic where the Zoi rides around for the duration of the shift. During this time, text-based events appear with yes or no choices that affect progression. Players can speed up the work period using up to 8x speed. The decisions made during these events likely influence promotion speed and salary increases, though the exact mechanics are not fully documented.

Criminal Careers vs. the Crime Skill

It is important to distinguish between criminal careers (formal employment with organizations) and the broader Crime skill system. Criminal careers are structured jobs with fixed schedules and salaries. The Crime skill is a separate system that allows any Zoi to commit criminal acts independently, regardless of employment.

The Crime skill was also added in v0.5.0 and can currently reach Level 5. It unlocks two categories of criminal interactions:

Thief Interactions

Thief actions let Zois break into properties and steal items. The available thief interactions include:

• Pick Door Lock: Quietly unlocks a door to gain entry.

• Break Down Door: Forces entry through a locked door.

• Open Safe: Cracks a safe to steal valuables.

• Sabotage Surveillance Camera: Disables security cameras before committing a crime.

Success rates for thief interactions are influenced by the Handiwork, Programming, and Fitness skills. Higher levels in these skills improve the chance of pulling off a heist without getting caught.

Scammer Interactions

Scammer actions allow Zois to con other Zois for money. The available scammer interactions include:

• Attempt Voice Phishing: Uses phone calls to trick victims into handing over money.

• Scam In-Game Items: Cons another Zoi through a fake item exchange.

• Impersonate Charity Worker: Poses as a charity representative to collect fraudulent donations.

• Hold Fake Seminar: Organizes a bogus event to swindle attendees.

Success rates for scammer interactions are influenced by the Rhetoric and Critical Thinking skills.

Unlocking Crime Interactions

The first Crime interaction (at Crime Skill Level 0) becomes available when a Zoi meets one or more of these conditions:

• Owns 2,000 Meow or less

• Is struggling due to excessive debt

Additional crime interactions unlock as the Crime skill level increases. Other low-karma criminal acts available outside the Crime skill system include stealing coins from vending machines, using the Extort interaction (available at Bad karma level), and hacking ATMs.

Karma and Criminal Careers

Pursuing a criminal career actively decreases karma through red-symbol actions. The karma system uses seven levels: Best, Good, Fair, Normal, Poor, Bad, and Terrible. Criminal activity pushes a Zoi toward the lower end of this spectrum.

Low karma unlocks additional criminal activities outside of work but also carries penalties:

• Other Zois become wary, refuse to acknowledge, or openly mock the criminal Zoi

• Reduced lottery odds

• Negative community reactions

• Relationships suffer due to the criminal lifestyle

• Zois who die with Poor or worse karma become ghosts

Players who want to quickly reach low karma for criminal gameplay can purchase the Diabolic Donut from the Meow Store (previously available for 100 Meow Coins before being removed in v0.4.0), which set karma to Terrible. A Neutral Donut (also previously 100 Meow Coins, removed in v0.4.0) reset karma back to neutral for those who want to reform.

Trial and Justice System

When a police officer witnesses a Zoi committing a crime (marked by a red karma symbol), the Zoi can be arrested. The arrest leads to processing through the Trial and Justice System, which was also added in v0.5.0.

Once jailed, a Zoi's options are severely limited. While in jail, Zois can only sleep, eat, and use the bathroom. At 7:00 AM, the Zoi receives notification that they will be released from prison at 9:00 AM that day. Criminal career employment is not automatically terminated by arrest, but repeated jail time can interfere with work schedules.

Alternative Crime Paths

Beyond the two formal criminal careers, players can pursue a criminal lifestyle through other means. The Hacker ambition path involves learning Programming, then using those skills to scam people online, sell apps, and hack ATMs and bank computers. Community players report earning upward of 30,000 Meow through the hacker route without spending time in jail, making it a potentially more profitable and safer alternative to formal criminal employment.

Planned Improvements

The 2026 development roadmap includes several crime-related improvements:

• Crime-specific outfits and customization options

• Detailed arrest and incarceration mechanics

• Home security systems to deter criminal NPCs

• Violent NPC behaviors tied to criminal career progression