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December 2025 Update
March 31, 2026 at 01:46 PM
Initial version
The December 2025 update (v0.5.0) is one of the largest content updates for inZOI, released on December 23, 2025. It introduced two major gameplay pillars: a full business ownership system that lets Zois open and manage commercial properties, and a crime system complete with theft, scams, and a trial-and-sentencing pipeline. Alongside these headline features, the update added multitasking, group interactions, three new ambitions categories, three new skills, 173 build items, a limited-time Holiday Festival event, and dozens of simulation and quality-of-life improvements.
Detail | Value |
|---|---|
Release Date | December 23, 2025 |
Version | v0.5.0 |
Hotfix | v0.5.1 (December 24, 2025) |
Holiday Festival End Date | January 31, 2026 |
The v0.5.0 update introduced the business ownership system, allowing Zois to purchase and operate commercial properties. Owners take a hands-on approach to running their establishments, handling everything from hiring staff to setting prices and business hours.
Property Acquisition: Zois can purchase business lots, including those previously operated by NPC Zois. Each business has a designated property with its own lot value.
Employee Management: Owners hire household members or acquaintances and assign them tasks based on their skills. Employees work autonomously during business hours.
Business Hours and Pricing: Owners set operating hours and choose pricing tiers. Profits are calculated and logged at the end of each business day through a Profit Summary menu.
Customer Satisfaction: Customers provide real-time feedback that affects the overall business value. Attracting and retaining satisfied customers is key to growth.
Multi-Store Management: A single household can own multiple businesses, each managed independently. When a household splits, businesses transfer to the eldest household member.
The update shipped with preset configurations for different types of businesses. Each preset determines the available customer actions and operational style.
Preset | Description |
|---|---|
Cafe | Serves coffee and light refreshments to walk-in customers. |
Bakery | Sells baked goods produced on-site using the Baking skill. |
Restaurant | Offers full meals with table service and a broader menu. |
Bar | Serves drinks using the Drink Mixing skill, with evening-focused hours. |
One restriction applies: Zois cannot use City Travel while engaged in business-related activities.
A full crime system was added in v0.5.0, enabling Zois aged Young Adult and older to pursue criminal activities. Two distinct criminal paths are available: theft and scams. Both paths build a Zoi's Crime Score, which determines the likelihood and severity of legal consequences.
Not every Zoi can turn to crime. A Zoi must meet at least one of the following conditions to unlock criminal interactions:
Possessing 2,000 Meow or less
Experiencing family-related psychological stress
Having the Rulebreaker trait or the Malicious characteristic
Thieves specialize in physical break-ins and property theft. Success rates for these interactions are influenced by Handiwork, Programming, and Fitness skills.
Interaction | Description |
|---|---|
Pick Door Lock | Attempts to silently unlock a door without triggering alarms. |
Break Down Door | Forces entry through a locked door, with higher noise and detection risk. |
Open Safe | Cracks a safe to steal valuables stored inside. |
Sabotage Surveillance Camera | Disables a security camera to reduce the chance of being identified. |
Scammers rely on social manipulation rather than physical force. Success rates are influenced by Rhetoric and Critical Thinking skills.
Interaction | Description |
|---|---|
Attempt Voice Phishing | Calls a target and attempts to extract money through deception. |
Scam In-Game Items | Tricks another Zoi into handing over valuable items under false pretenses. |
Impersonate Charity Worker | Poses as a charity representative to collect fraudulent donations. |
Hold Fake Seminar | Organizes a bogus educational event to collect attendance fees. |
The Suspicious Job Agency is a new location where criminally inclined Zois can find structured work. The agency's Bulletin Board lists shady jobs that provide payouts upon completion but also increase Crime Score and raise the risk of arrest. Zois can also purchase crime information from the board to plan their activities more effectively.
Every criminal act increases a Zoi's Crime Score. At low levels, police may issue warnings or fines for minor offenses. As the score rises, the risk of arrest escalates sharply; at a certain threshold, the Zoi is arrested on sight regardless of police proximity. Thieves who escape the scene of a crime receive a wanted status lasting approximately 24 in-game hours. During this period, any encounter with police results in immediate arrest.
When a Zoi is arrested, the trial and justice system takes over. The process moves through several stages, from detention to courtroom verdict.
Arrest: Zois with a high enough Crime Score are automatically arrested. Once arrested, the Zoi is taken to a detention center.
Bail: Arrested Zois can post bail to leave the detention center and prepare for trial at home, or they can remain in custody until the trial date.
Lawyer Selection: Players choose a lawyer for their Zoi. Free public defenders are available but provide minimal assistance. Elite (paid) lawyers significantly improve the odds of acquittal or a reduced sentence.
Trial Preparation: Before the trial, opportunity cards appear that allow the Zoi to gather evidence or build their defense case.
Verdict: Guilty verdicts are the standard outcome. Not-guilty verdicts are difficult to secure and require careful preparation and a competent lawyer.
Unlike many life simulation games, prison in inZOI is not a time-skip. Players retain control of their Zoi inside the cell, though activities are extremely limited. Standard jail time lasts approximately 24 in-game hours from the time of arrest. The exact duration varies based on crime severity and trial outcome. Serving time in prison reduces the Zoi's Crime Score.
New Court properties were added across the game's cities to support the trial system.
The v0.5.0 update introduced the first limited-time Holiday Festival event, running from December 23, 2025 through January 31, 2026. Each of the main parks across the three cities was decorated with Christmas-themed booths, activities, and seasonal food.
City | Festival Location |
|---|---|
Dowon | Central Park |
Bliss Bay | Liberty Square |
Cahaya | Barat Beach |
Choir performances ran daily from 12:15 PM to 10:00 PM at each festival location.
Festival booths sold themed snacks, gifts, and crafting kits (including the Cookie Man Crafting Kit).
Players received a Holiday Festival Gift Box upon accepting the festival announcement, containing up to 19 build items.
Midnight gifts were delivered on the first two festival nights, with three additional items each time.
Booth gifts offered up to 32 limited-time exclusive items, bringing the total to over 50 Holiday Festival build items.
Seven unlockable Holiday Festival wearable items were available, including themed sets, hats, headpieces, and shoes.
Players could also manually set snowy weather through the City Appearance settings to enhance the seasonal atmosphere.
The long-requested multitasking feature arrived in v0.5.0, allowing Zois to perform two activities simultaneously for the first time. This applied to several common activity pairings.
Activity Combination | Details |
|---|---|
Talking while eating | Zois can hold conversations during meals. |
Talking while using a computer | Social interactions continue during computer use. |
Talking while reading | Conversations do not interrupt reading activities. |
Eating while watching TV | Zois can snack or eat meals in front of the television. |
The update also improved pathfinding so that Zois reposition to face each other during conversations. The developers noted that multitasking was limited to autonomous talking and smartphone actions at launch, and that animations needed further refinement in future patches.
Group interactions were a new social mechanic introduced alongside multitasking. After placing Zois in the world, players could form them into groups. Grouped Zois prioritize interactions with each other and gain access to cooperative actions that are unavailable to solo Zois. Group members can applaud and cheer for each other during activities.
Three new skills were added in v0.5.0, each tied to one of the update's major new systems.
Skill | Max Level | Related System |
|---|---|---|
Baking | Unlockable through gameplay | Business ownership (bakeries) |
Drink Mixing | Unlockable through gameplay | Business ownership (bars) |
Crime (skill) | Level 5 | Crime system |
Skill experience gains from interactions were increased across the board in this update, making it easier to level up all skills.
Three new ambition categories were introduced, bringing the total to 13 categories. Ambition rewards were rebalanced, and the Zoi Card was updated to show current goal levels for active ambitions.
Ambition Category | Focus | Notable Ambition |
|---|---|---|
Collecting and Crafting | Gathering resources and crafting items | Collection Expert, Godlike Angler, Blacksmith |
Business Flourishing | Owning and growing a successful business | Savvy Entrepreneur |
Lifehacker | Domestic wellness and practical home skills | Cleanliness Champion, Master Chef |
Completing goals within an ambition grants Meow currency. Finishing all three levels awards a larger bonus.
The Workaholic characteristic was added, defining driven workers who feel uneasy without work. This characteristic is incompatible with the Recluse and Slacker traits.
The urge system received a significant expansion with three new urge types:
Urge Type | Examples |
|---|---|
Special Urges | Forbidden relationships, relationship endings |
Fear-Based Urges | Career anxiety, significant life events |
Situation-Based Urges | 77 new context-specific urges tied to a Zoi's current circumstances |
Beyond the crime interactions, the update added a wide range of social and family interactions.
New interactions were added for newborn, toddler, and child Zois, expanding the depth of family gameplay.
Interaction | Age Group |
|---|---|
Flip (with possible failed attempts) | Toddler |
Mess with Toilet | Toddler / Child |
Comfort | All children |
Bully | Child |
Wipe Nose / Give Medicine | Toddler / Child |
Demand Food | Toddler / Child |
Teddy Bear Interactions | Toddler / Child |
Scolding | Child |
Interaction | Category |
|---|---|
Confess Love Jokingly | Romance |
Dance as a Couple | Romance |
Borrow Money / Repay Money | Social |
Demand Repayment | Social |
Talk Behind Sweetheart's Back | Social |
Joke About Breakup / Divorce | Social |
Extort | Social / Crime |
The update added 62 winter-themed outfits in an ivory, beige, and baby blue color palette, along with 55 total wearable items. Gloves and scarves were added as new Fashion Accessories categories in Create a Zoi.
A new Style Presets feature was introduced, allowing players to save and load complete cosmetic configurations. The update shipped with 295 built-in style presets. Zoi Presets were also expanded to include traits, characteristics, ambitions, desired life, gender, and name.
16 new studio emotes and poses.
1 new Holiday Festival studio background.
My Textures now support privacy settings (Everyone or Only You) and filtering.
Makeup presets expanded to include lenses, eyebrows, eyelashes, and face paints.
The v0.5.0 update added 173 new items to Build Mode and made significant cost rebalancing changes.
Category | Count | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
Build Items | 28 | 2 doors, 1 window, 11 roof decorations, 14 materials |
Furniture | 52 | 15 kitchen items, 30 wall decorations, large dining tables |
Business-Exclusive Items | 39 | 1 market stand, 35 display models |
Holiday Festival Items | 54 | 19 welcome gift items, 3 special items, 32 gift box items |
Modular Windows: A freely rescalable window category, allowing players to adjust window dimensions to fit any wall.
Roof Decorations: A new sub-category under Building with 11 decorative items.
Large Dining Tables: New 6-person and 8-person table categories with 10 new table options.
Family-Size Recipes: The ability to cook multiple servings simultaneously, complementing the new dining tables.
The cost for installing basic building components was removed entirely. Walls, handrails, rooms, platforms, and roofs are now free to place. Prices for doors, windows, and stairs were reduced and standardized. Furniture performance now scales with price, giving more expensive items tangible gameplay benefits.
Several new property types were added across the game's three cities.
Property Type | Details |
|---|---|
Flower Shops | New commercial lots in all three cities. |
Theaters | Added in Dowon and Bliss Bay (under construction; not accessible in v0.5.0). |
Court Properties | New judicial buildings for the trial system. |
Business-Exclusive Properties | Commercial lots available for purchase and operation. |
Middle-class and above residential property prices were reduced across 14 locations.
Reactions to vehicular collisions were improved.
Zois position their hands differently based on body type when sitting.
Footstep sounds now vary by floor material and shoe type.
A new idle animation was added for bar stool sitting.
Smart Zoi now supports Korean language.
A Display Interaction was added that prevents arbitrary discarding of collectibles such as minerals, gems, and sculptures.
Zois who stay in the rain for over an hour now catch a cold.
Inner thoughts and character portraits now appear for nearby Zois in romantic or adversarial relationships.
Family trees now display images of immediate family members for better visual clarity.
Lucky Donuts had their duration reduced from one day to one hour. In exchange, skill-boosting donuts had their effectiveness increased from 130% to 200%.
The Edit City map now includes property type filters for residential, workplaces, shops, and offices.
WASD keyboard control logic was improved, with new Top-View Keyboard Control Target settings.
Shoulder view targets now display at the top of the HUD.
Overhead icon design was reverted to the original version in response to player feedback.
The Build Mode toolbar menu was reorganized with updated icons.
Window, lighting, stone, and flowerpot icons were rescaled for better size comparison.
Improved property view now reveals interiors only upon direct entry.
AI Build system was updated with the latest available assets.
Lobby music was updated with a Holiday Festival theme.
AI-generated winter-themed music was added to in-game speakers.
Footstep sounds now differentiate by floor material and shoe type.
The Canvas community platform received several updates.
Style Preset category added with download and upload support.
Zoi Presets now include traits, characteristics, ambitions, desired life, gender, and name.
Property Presets expanded with city, address, and floor information.
Social sharing button added with automatic thumbnail, title, and key information.
Profile support expanded to include TikTok, Patreon, CurseForge, Reddit, and Threads.
Comment features: threading, mentions, pinned comments, stickers, and creator badges.
New Events Page archives Editor Picks and featured selections.
A 2025 RECAP page highlighting the best Zois, buildings, and creators was added.
The ModKit received two new creation tools.
Outfit Wizard: Supports creation of socks, stockings, underwear, shoes, jackets, tops, and bottoms.
Stairs Wizard: Enables modders to create custom staircase designs.
UGC Feature 1.9.0: Manual mod release during project creation and improved format handling.
The following cheat additions were made in v0.5.0:
Workaholic characteristic toggle.
Baking, Drink Mixing, and Crime skill level cheats.
81 new object IDs for spawning items.
25 new region IDs covering Dowon, Bliss Bay, and Cahaya.
Free Camera toggle.
setBusinessLevel command for adjusting business progression.
Character flickering at close range on medium graphics settings was mitigated.
Chromatic aberration was removed from default visual effects.
Fixed ripple effects appearing on sinks and mirrors during rain.
Grid display was corrected at property boundaries.
Performance optimization through lighter materials on distant objects.
A hotfix was released on December 24, 2025 (one day after the main update) to address an issue where players could not enter businesses during operating hours when purchasing a business lot that had previously been operated by NPC Zois.
The crime system was described as being in early development, with additional content planned for future updates.
Multitasking animations needed further refinement; autonomous multitasking was limited to talking and smartphone actions.
Theater properties in Dowon and Bliss Bay were under construction and not yet accessible.
Traffic accident trials were deferred to a future update.
