Revision 4

Overview

A family in inZOI is a household: a group of up to 8 Zois living under the same roof. Families can be built from scratch in Edit City, formed through marriage, or expanded through pregnancy and new member creation. Managing household composition, roles, and finances is a constant part of gameplay, especially once families grow beyond a couple.

The 8-member cap is a hard limit. When a household reaches maximum capacity, new pregnancies automatically fail. Someone in the family would have to die or move out before a new Zoi can join through birth.

Creating a New Family

The most straightforward way to start a family is through Edit City:

1. Open the Edit City screen (accessible via the map, press [M], or during initial game setup).

2. Click on any empty house or lot.

3. Click "Select Family."

4. Choose a pre-made household from the available presets, or click "Create New Family" to design Zois from scratch using character creation.

When creating a new family, the game enters the character creation screen. Design each family member individually, then assign their relationships to each other before finalizing the household.

Adding Members to an Existing Family

To add a new Zoi to a household that already exists:

1. Open the Smartphone (press [P]).

2. Go to City Map [M].

3. Select the household you want to modify.

4. Choose "Add Family Member."

5. Design the new Zoi in the character creation screen.

6. Click the Relationships button to define their connection to existing household members.

Available Roles

Roles assigned to existing household members during this process cannot be changed retroactively through this menu. To alter relationships for Zois already in the household, you need to develop them through gameplay interactions or use cheat codes.

Role Limitations

The current role system has limitations. You cannot directly assign grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or cousin relationships when adding a new member. The only available family roles are parent and child. Sibling relationships form automatically when two Zois share the same parents. Grandparent bonds form when a child's parent also has a parent in the household. Extended family connections require multi-generational gameplay rather than manual assignment.

The Manage Family Screen

The Manage Family screen is the central hub for household management, accessed through Smartphone > City Map > Manage Zois > Manage Family. It provides several options for reorganizing households:

Important restriction: Babies and toddlers cannot be transferred between households through the Manage Family screen. They must remain with their current family until they age into the Child life stage. This prevents exploits around child care and ensures newborns stay with their parents.

Moving Zois Between Families

To relocate a Zoi from one household to another:

1. Open Smartphone > City Map > Manage Zois > Manage Family.

2. Select "Move Zois Between Families."

3. Choose up to two families from the list.

4. Select specific Zois to transfer between the families.

5. Decide how much Meow (household funds) each family keeps after the split.

Surnames are not affected by family changes. A Zoi who moves from the Kim household to the Park household keeps their original surname. The game does not have formal custody mechanics. When parents separate, children can be placed with either parent through the Manage Family screen, and there are no court proceedings or custody disputes.

Household Finances

All Meow earned by household members goes into a shared pool. When Zois move between families, the Meow split is manual. The game presents a slider letting you decide exactly how much money each family gets. There is no automatic even split.

Bills

Utility bills are charged every Friday and paid automatically from the household's shared Meow pool. Bill amounts scale with the size and value of the property, including the number of rooms, furniture quality, and utility usage. If the household cannot afford to pay bills, the consequences escalate:

• First missed bill: A warning notification appears.

• Continued non-payment: Utilities may be restricted, affecting the household's comfort and functionality.

• Severe delinquency: The household faces eviction risk.

Welfare System

inZOI includes a safety net for struggling households. When a family's Meow balance drops below 1,000 Mew, the welfare system activates and provides a 2,000 Mew payment. This prevents families from becoming completely destitute and ensures basic needs can be met. The payment is automatic and does not require any player action.

Insurance

The insurance system (added in v0.3.0) allows households to purchase coverage against unexpected expenses. Insurance helps cover costs from broken appliances, property damage, and certain emergencies. Policies are purchased through the smartphone and deducted from the household's Meow pool on a recurring basis.

Family Tree Viewer

The family tree viewer displays all familial connections for a household, showing parent-child bonds, marriages, and sibling relationships in a visual diagram. It tracks lineage across generations, letting players see how their family has grown over time.

v0.5.0 improvements (December 2025): The family tree viewer received significant updates including clearer visual layout, improved navigation for large families, and better display of extended family connections across multiple generations.

Premade Families

inZOI ships with premade families across both cities for players who want to jump into gameplay without creating Zois from scratch.

Premade families come with pre-built relationships, starting Meow balances, assigned homes, and personality traits. They serve as a ready-to-play option and as a reference for how the family system works.

Family Interactions

Family-specific interactions expand as the household grows. The system focuses on parent-child dynamics and household coordination.

Parenting Interactions

Adults in the same household can coordinate chores through cleanliness and home management interactions. Cooperative and group family activities are planned for future updates.

Family and Pregnancy

Pregnancy adds a new Zoi to the household after 3 in-game days. Babies inherit physical characteristics from their parents, including hair color, eye color, and facial structure, along with potentially inheriting traits and skill tendencies. The newborn starts in a crib and ages to Toddler after 1 day.

At household capacity (8 members), pregnancy attempts will not succeed.

Children and Protection

Children in inZOI cannot die from neglect. If a child's needs become critically low, the Child Protection Agency intervenes and takes the child away instead. Teenagers do not have this protection and can die like any adult Zoi.

Business Inheritance

Starting with v0.5.0 (December 2025), family businesses can be inherited by other household members. When a Zoi who owns a business dies or becomes a Senior, the business ownership can transfer to another adult family member. This allows multi-generational business dynasties and prevents business progress from being lost when the founding Zoi ages out.

Family-Related Ambitions and Desired Lives

Several ambitions and desired lives focus on family development:

Cheat Codes

Patch History

Tips

• Plan your household size before expanding. The 8-member cap means you need to leave room for pregnancies and new additions. A family of 7 can only have one more birth.

• Use the Create a Temporary Family option for complex household reorganizations. It is much easier than trying to juggle transfers between multiple active families.

• Set the Meow split carefully when moving Zois between families. The default is not an even split, so check the slider before confirming.

• The welfare system kicks in at 1,000 Mew, providing 2,000 Mew. If your family is struggling, let the balance drop to trigger it rather than selling furniture.

• Focus on the Parenting Expert ambition if you enjoy the family gameplay loop. It tracks milestones that happen naturally through raising children.

• Remember that babies and toddlers cannot be transferred between households. Wait until they age up to Child before reorganizing families.

• Pay bills on time. They are due every Friday. Keep a buffer in the household Meow pool to avoid the consequences of missed payments.

• Consider insurance for larger households with expensive furniture and appliances. The recurring cost is small compared to replacement costs.