Ghost Play
Complete guide to inZOI's Ghost Play system introduced in v0.4.0. Covers the death-to-ghost transition, the three-day afterlife period, all 17 death types and their unique ghost abilities, karma mechanics, funeral properties, ascending to the afterlife, ghost personality traits, the Ghost Appearance Rate Slider, Undertaker and Soul Guide services, and the impact of ghosts on city population.
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Overview
Ghost Play is a supernatural gameplay system introduced in the v0.4.0 update (October 30, 2025) that allows players to continue controlling a Zoi after they have died. Rather than ending a Zoi's story at death, Ghost Play extends the experience into a three-day afterlife period during which the deceased Zoi exists as a spirit. During this window, the ghost can fulfill special urges, unlock unique abilities tied to how they died, interact with the living, and eventually choose to ascend peacefully or attend their own funeral. The system ties directly into inZOI's karma mechanics and has meaningful consequences for the broader city population.
The feature was part of KRAFTON's original design vision from before Early Access, with game director Hyungjun "Kjun" Kim discussing ghost concepts as early as 2024. Prior to the v0.4.0 update, the Ghost Play button existed in the interface but was grayed out and non-functional. The Halloween timing of the v0.4.0 release was deliberate, aligning the supernatural theme with the seasonal update.
Death-to-Ghost Transition
When a Zoi dies, the game presents the option "On to the Afterlife." Selecting this transitions the deceased Zoi into a ghost state rather than permanently removing them from the world. The ghost appears at the location of death and remains playable for three in-game days. During this period, the player can switch to controlling the ghost just as they would any other household member.
There are currently 17 confirmed ways for a Zoi to die in inZOI, each of which produces a ghost with distinct abilities and urges. Death types include natural causes (old age), starvation, sleep deprivation, fire, electrocution, traffic accident, falling, food poisoning, drowning, shark attack, jellyfish attack, lightning, hypothermia, heatstroke, anger, overwork, and lack of recognition. Only Zois who have reached the Senior life stage can die of natural causes; younger Zois can only die from accidents, environmental hazards, or extreme neglect.
Karma and the Afterlife
The karma system determines a Zoi's fate after death. Zois who die with sufficient karma pass on to the afterlife and do not linger as ghosts. Those who die with insufficient karma remain as spirits and must work to restore their karma points during the three-day ghost period before they can move on. This creates a gameplay dynamic where moral choices made during a Zoi's lifetime directly affect what happens after death.
As of the v0.4.0 update, the karma system was streamlined significantly. Dedicated karma score displays, karma-specific icons, and standalone karma menu items were removed. Instead, karma-based interactions were merged into the general interaction system, making the mechanic feel more organic and less like a separate numerical score to track.
Ghost Abilities by Death Type
Each death type grants a ghost a unique set of abilities and urges. These death-specific powers define how the ghost interacts with the living world during their three-day afterlife. Below is a breakdown of confirmed ghost abilities by cause of death:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Natural Causes (Old Age) | Can wear out furniture, leave final messages, talk to other ghosts, control TVs, and cook meals. |
Fire | Can set objects and surroundings on fire, control TVs, press doorbells, talk to ghosts, and flick lights on and off. |
Starvation | Can make nearby living Zois feel hungry. The ghost itself also needs to eat. Can control TVs and talk to other ghosts. |
Sleep Deprivation | Can make nearby Zois fall asleep and disturb other Zois' rest. Can talk to ghosts and flick lights. |
Overwork | Can drain other Zois' energy, press doorbells, break computers, and sleep. |
Electrocution | Can release electrical current that breaks electronics, press doorbells, break computers, flick lights, and control TVs. |
Traffic Accident | Can warn Zois walking on streets, talk to other ghosts, flick lights, leave final messages, and press doorbells. |
Falling | Can warn others to be careful, flick lights, talk to ghosts, break faucets, and press doorbells. |
Food Poisoning | Can make nearby Zois feel sick, break toilets and refrigerators, wash hands, and talk to ghosts. |
Anger | Can spread anger to nearby Zois, press doorbells, throw trash around, talk to ghosts, and listen to music. |
Hypothermia | Can blast cold air, break refrigerators, bathe in warm water, flick lights, and wash hands. |
Heatstroke | Can spread heat, flick lights, bathe in cool water, wash hands, and press doorbells. |
Drowning | Can make nearby Zois feel seasick, break faucets, wash hands, soak in warm water, and press doorbells. |
Shark Attack | Can make nearby Zois feel seasick, with abilities similar to drowning-type ghosts. |
Jellyfish Attack | Can make nearby Zois feel seasick, with abilities similar to drowning-type ghosts. |
Lightning | Can release lightning strikes, press doorbells, break refrigerators, control TVs, and talk to ghosts. |
Lack of Recognition | Can cry out asking others to play. This ghost type also has the ability to sleep. |
Additional death types such as death by embarrassment and death by high fever have been referenced by KRAFTON but are not yet implemented as of the v0.6.0 update.
Ghost Personality and Behavior
Beyond death-type abilities, a ghost retains the traits and personality they had in life. A calm, mild-mannered Zoi becomes a gentle spirit, while a Zoi with troublesome traits becomes a mischievous ghost more likely to frighten the living. This personality carryover means no two ghosts behave identically, even if they died the same way.
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Emotional Impact on the Living | Unexpected ghost encounters can leave living Zois in a negative emotional state. The fear and unease from seeing a ghost affects a Zoi's mood and behavior for some time afterward. |
Emotional Reunions | When a living Zoi encounters the ghost of a deceased friend or family member, the game can trigger heartwarming reunion moments with dramatic emotional weight. |
Ghost Missions | Through the character Claire at the AR Library, players can accept missions that reveal the backstories of different ghosts found around the city. These narrative quests provide context for why certain spirits linger. |
The v0.4.0 update introduced over 140 new urges broadly (not all ghost-specific), with 120 existing urges reworked to better align with personality traits. Ghost urges are a subset of this expanded system.
Ghost Appearance and Customization
Ghosts in inZOI are designed to look eerie and unsettling rather than cartoonish or comedic. The developers took deliberate inspiration from Korean folklore, particularly in the city of Dowon, where cultural elements influence the visual style and behavior of ghosts. This gives the ghost system a distinctly atmospheric quality that differentiates it from similar features in other life simulation games.
Players have access to a Ghost Appearance Rate Slider in the City Edit menu that controls how frequently ghosts appear in their city. At the lowest setting, ghosts are removed entirely. At the highest setting, ghosts densely populate the city. Higher ghost density makes it more challenging to help ghosts earn enough karma to move on, creating a gameplay difficulty factor that players can tune to their preference.
Funeral Properties
The v0.4.0 update introduced three new property types specifically for handling death and remembrance. These properties were added to all three cities: Dowon, Bliss Bay, and Cahaya.
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Funeral Home | A venue where players can organize and hold funeral ceremonies for deceased Zois. Using the "Make Event" option triggers a funeral gathering that friends and family attend. |
Columbarium | A building where urns of the deceased can be stored and visited. Players use the "Enshrine Deceased" interaction to place urns here. |
Cemetery | An outdoor property where Zois can be buried and remembered. Like the Columbarium, it supports the "Enshrine Deceased" interaction for placing urns. |
When a Zoi living in the city (or someone they know) passes away, an urn is automatically generated. This urn serves as the physical token used for funeral ceremonies and interment. Note that urns are only generated for Zois who die after the v0.4.0 update was applied; earlier deaths do not retroactively produce urns.
Ascending and Departing
At the end of the three-day ghost period, the player faces a final choice. The ghost can either:
Ascend to the Afterlife: The ghost peacefully departs from the mortal world, disappearing permanently.
Attend Their Own Funeral: The ghost visits their funeral ceremony one last time before moving on. This provides a final narrative moment and emotional closure.
If the player does not make an active choice and instead selects "Continue" play, any remaining ghosts in the household will automatically ascend and disappear. Note that selecting "Continue" also resets certain NPC relationships (such as the relationship with Claire) back to their default state. Reincarnation was not included in the v0.4.0 update, though the developer has hinted at expanded supernatural mechanics in future updates.
Impact on City Population
The ghost system has a significant effect on city-wide gameplay. If too many ghosts accumulate in a city, the game restricts population growth: new Zois cannot be born, and new families cannot be created. This mechanic places responsibility on the player to manage the spiritual health of their city by ensuring Zois maintain enough karma to pass on rather than lingering as ghosts.
Game director Kjun has described this as an intentional design choice that encourages players to care about the moral alignment of their Zois throughout their life stages. A city overrun with ghosts effectively becomes stagnant, unable to grow until the spiritual population is addressed. Players can use the Ghost Appearance Rate Slider to manage this balance, or employ the Undertaker and Soul Guide services described below.
Undertaker and Soul Guide Services
Players can access soul-related services through the Undertaker, contactable via the smartphone. The Undertaker can be hired to help manage ghosts at properties, including requesting that souls be put to rest. A related service, the Soul Guide, can be ordered from the Pocket Market to summon a specific ghost and facilitate communication with the deceased. This allows living Zois to have conversations with ghosts they may not encounter naturally.
These services are still being refined as of Early Access. The developers have discussed the possibility of expanding them into a full Ghost Expert career or clairvoyant profession in a future update, which would let living Zois specialize in spirit communication and ghost management as a job. The Meow cost for these services may vary as the system is balanced.
Future Plans
KRAFTON has signaled that Ghost Play in its current form is a foundation for more ambitious supernatural content. Game director Kjun has teased several possibilities for future updates:
Ghost Zois who die with a bad reputation could be "shackled to the mortal realm," forced to seek redemption through specific actions before being allowed to ascend.
Additional paranormal Zoi types beyond ghosts may be explored, though the team is focused on refining realistic gameplay elements first.
Expanded ghost interactions and unique ghost-exclusive gameplay loops are under consideration.
A clairvoyant or exorcist profession could let living Zois specialize in managing the spirit world professionally.
Ghost Play represents one of inZOI's most distinctive features compared to other life simulation games, blending supernatural elements with the mentality system and karma mechanics to create consequences that extend beyond a single Zoi's lifetime.