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Karma
March 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Merged comprehensive content from karma-and-reputation-system article (7-tier scale, detailed action tables, city settings, cheats, planned reputation system) to eliminate duplication
The Karma system is one of the most distinctive features in inZOI. It tracks the moral trajectory of every Zoi through a seven-tier scale, from Best to Terrible, based on the actions they take throughout their life. Karma influences how other Zois treat you, what dialogue options are available, your career prospects, and even what happens to your Zoi after death.
The system operates on both an individual and city-wide level, meaning the collective behavior of all Zois in a city can affect the entire community. A separate Reputation system based on local communities is planned for 2026. While Karma reflects a Zoi's internal moral path, Reputation will measure how the outside world perceives them.
Every Zoi has a personal karma tracker that starts at Normal (the neutral midpoint). As the Zoi performs actions throughout the day, their karma shifts up or down. Good deeds push karma toward Best; harmful actions push it toward Terrible.
Karma changes are marked with colored indicators in the interaction menu: blue for good karma actions, red for bad karma actions, and purple for neutral actions that do not affect karma. You can view your Zoi's current karma status on the Zoi Card (lower-right corner of the screen, above the Meow Store button). A more detailed breakdown is available in the Soul Management Report in the game menu.
The v0.4.0 update (October 2025) merged karma interactions into the general interaction menu rather than a separate category. The visible karma score and karma icons on conversation options were removed from the UI, and the "Zoi Karma Status" section was removed from the Karma Report. The developers acknowledged that the presentation needed reworking and committed to rebuilding the karma display in future updates.
There are seven karma tiers, ranging from the highest (Best) to the lowest (Terrible):
Level | Tier | Description |
|---|---|---|
Best | Highest | The pinnacle of good karma. Unlocks the Compliment intervention. Other Zois treat you with kindness and loyalty. |
Good | High | Strongly positive. Zois at Good or above are widely appreciated and receive social benefits. |
Fair | Positive | Above average. Part of the positive karma range with modest social benefits. |
Normal | Neutral | The default starting level for all Zois. No significant positive or negative effects. |
Poor | Negative | Other Zois begin to neglect and avoid you. Prone to encounters with illegal activities. |
Bad | Low | Other Zois become hostile, wary, or refuse to acknowledge you. New negative interactions unlock. |
Terrible | Lowest | The worst karma level. Unlocks the Scold intervention. The Zoi becomes a ghost upon death. |
Actions that raise karma are marked with blue indicators. They generally involve being kind, helpful, and supportive toward other Zois.
Clap (applaud another Zoi's performance)
Cheer On (encourage another Zoi)
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Compliment Appearance | Tell another Zoi they look good. |
Express Enjoyment of Companionship | Let someone know you appreciate spending time with them. |
Offer Directions | Help a lost or confused Zoi find their way. |
Provide Comfort | Console a Zoi who is upset or grieving. |
Share Food | Give food to another Zoi. |
Encourage with Trust-Based Words | Offer words of encouragement and support. |
Exchange Ideas | Have an intellectually stimulating conversation. |
Give Surprise Gifts | Hand someone an unexpected present. |
Present Thank-You Cards | Express gratitude formally. |
Ask If Help Is Needed | Check on someone who looks troubled. |
Make Mood-Lifting Jokes | Lighten the atmosphere with humor. |
Upload and leave complimentary posts on Bubbly
Send thank-you messages
Sign environmental petitions
Actions that lower karma are marked with red indicators. They range from minor rudeness to outright violence.
Secretly drop items (littering)
Express anger aggressively
Throw away trash improperly
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Mock | Make fun of another Zoi. |
Demand Others Leave | Aggressively tell someone to go away. |
Yell | Shout at another Zoi. |
Give Fake Gifts | Present a deceptive or worthless gift. |
Knock Down | Physically push another Zoi over. |
Insult | Directly insult another Zoi. |
Threaten | Intimidate another Zoi with threats. |
Tell Crude Jokes | Offend others with inappropriate humor. |
Pick Fights | Start a physical confrontation. |
Extort | Demand money or favors through intimidation. |
Throw Punches | Physically assault another Zoi. |
Heckle | Loudly disrupt a performance or event. |
Send rumor texts about other Zois via Bubbly
Send malicious rumor texts (requires Bad karma or worse)
Send prank texts
Stealing valuables from other Zois or locations
Committing fraud online
Running over pedestrians while driving
General acts of violence
New interaction options unlock as karma changes. Spreading rumors through Bubbly requires a karma level of Bad or worse. Some of the most harmful actions are locked behind low karma thresholds, meaning a Zoi must already be on a negative path before they gain access to the worst behaviors.
Karma directly shapes how other Zois react to you. At Good karma and above, NPCs are friendly by default, offer more positive dialogue options, and are more willing to form relationships. At Poor karma and below, other Zois become wary, dismissive, or openly hostile.
Karma is closely tied to the Recognition need. High karma helps fulfill Recognition through positive social feedback. Terrible karma starves it, since nobody wants to interact positively with the Zoi. If the Recognition need drops critically low, the Zoi may run away from home and never return.
Good karma makes job hunting and career progression easier. NPCs respond more favorably during professional interactions. Low karma creates obstacles: it becomes harder to find jobs, get promotions, and maintain professional relationships.
When a Zoi dies, a karma evaluation determines the fate of their soul:
Karma at Death | Outcome |
|---|---|
Good karma (Fair or above) | The Zoi passes on peacefully. As a benevolent spirit, they may help the living, bless descendants, and bring good fortune to their family line. |
Bad karma (Poor or below) | The Zoi becomes a ghost, bound to the mortal realm with unfinished business. They must roam the world and attempt to redeem their karma before they can move on. |
Ghost traits are inherited from the living Zoi. A calm Zoi becomes a mild-mannered ghost, while a bully Zoi becomes a mischievous spirit. If too many ghosts accumulate in a city, new Zois cannot be born and new families cannot be created.
Karma carries consequences across generations. If a Zoi was notorious for bad behavior, it can affect how NPCs treat their descendants. Some NPCs may be biased against your entire family line if an ancestor left a bad mark.
Beyond individual karma, each city has a collective karma status determined by the combined karma of all its residents. View the city's karma by going to the City Map, selecting "Edit City," and opening the Karma Report. This report shows all residents and their karma status.
When the majority of Zois in a city have Poor karma or lower, the city status changes to Caution. Under Caution status, negative events become more frequent. In severe cases, widespread bad karma leads to ghost infestations that prevent new families from forming.
Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
Civic Consciousness | Affects the success rate of karma interactions. Higher settings make good karma accumulate faster. |
Conversation Karma Positivity | Influences how often Zois gravitate toward positive karma conversations. |
Conversation Negative Positivity | Influences how often Zois gravitate toward negative karma conversations. |
City Safety | Affects the probability of Zois engaging in violent acts. Lower safety leads to more violence and bad karma. |
The intervention system lets you directly influence karma at the extreme ends of the scale. Interventions can be used once per 24 in-game hours through the City Menu.
Intervention | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Compliment | Best karma | Select a Zoi to compliment. They receive one of three random rewards: Lottery Win, Daily Fortune, or Family Health. The recipient gets a text from an "Anonymous Supporter." |
Scold | Terrible karma | Scold a Zoi to reset their karma back to Normal. This is the primary recovery mechanism for Zois stuck at the lowest karma tier. |
Avoid using interventions between 5:00 and 6:00 AM, as this is a special time for Zois and interventions may not work correctly during that window.
The Karma Report tracks every deceased Zoi who became a ghost. Each entry shows the ghost's name, karma level at death, and current status, giving an overview of the city's supernatural population. The ghost population percentage indicates how close the city is to ghost town status.
The crime system introduced in v0.5.0 creates a direct pipeline to low karma. Zois who pursue the thief or scammer paths through the Suspicious Job Agency accumulate negative karma from each crime at escalating levels (0-5). Higher-level crimes carry heavier karma penalties. A Zoi deep into the criminal lifestyle will almost certainly have Bad or Terrible karma, making ghost status at death nearly guaranteed unless they reform.
The in-game social media platform Bubbly plays a role in the karma system. Zois with Bad karma or worse can spread rumors about other Zois through Bubbly. Rumors propagate between Zois and can damage the target's social standing. Conversely, posting positive content and complimentary messages on Bubbly earns good karma.
Item | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Neutral Donut | 100 Meow Coins | Instantly resets a Zoi's karma to Normal. Useful for quick recovery from bad karma. |
Diabolic Donut | 100 Meow Coins | Instantly sets a Zoi's karma to Terrible. Designed for villain playthroughs. |
Two cheat commands affect karma. Access the cheat console with Ctrl + Shift + C (after enabling cheats through the Psycat's Advice menu):
Cheat | Effect |
|---|---|
resetKarma | Resets the karma status of all Zois in the city to Normal. |
apocalypseTheWorld | Sets the city status to the lowest value and all Zois' karma to Terrible. Use with caution. |
There is no cheat to set an individual Zoi's karma to a specific level. The resetKarma cheat affects the entire city at once.
The 2026 roadmap outlines a formal Reputation system separate from Karma. While Karma tracks a Zoi's internal moral path (functioning like "luck" that influences the probability of events), Reputation will measure how the outside world perceives a Zoi: how others talk about them, their social standing in the community, and how society responds to their presence.
Planned features include local community reputation scores, karma split into multiple areas (relationships, legacy, self-trust, social harm), a luck system as a separate mechanic influenced by karma, and competitive interactions that create rivalries. The developers have noted that not every feature on the roadmap is guaranteed to arrive on schedule.
For a good-karma playthrough, focus on complimenting other Zois, sharing food, and sending thank-you messages. These are easy actions that consistently raise karma.
For a villain playthrough, buy a Diabolic Donut from the Meow Store to jump straight to Terrible karma and unlock the full set of negative interactions.
Monitor city karma through the Karma Report. If too many Zois have low karma, take action before the city reaches Caution status.
Use the Scold intervention on Zois with Terrible karma to reset them. This prevents ghost infestations.
Karma affects what happens at death. Make sure a Zoi's karma is at Fair or above before their time comes if you want them to pass on peacefully.
Adjust City Safety settings if you want a more peaceful or chaotic city. Lower safety creates more dramatic gameplay but risks a karma spiral.
Some of the most impactful bad karma actions (like spreading malicious rumors) require already having low karma. The system gradually escalates rather than jumping to the worst actions.
