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Karma
February 22, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Convert bullet-point lists to tables for better readability
Karma is the moral ledger of inZOI. Every action a Zoi takes (good or bad) nudges their karma score in one direction. Good deeds raise it, antisocial behavior lowers it. The score has limited gameplay effect during a Zoi's life beyond gating certain interactions (like rumor spreading). Its real impact comes at death: accumulated karma determines whether a Zoi passes peacefully to the afterlife or lingers as a ghost.
The v0.5.0 update (December 2025) added the crime system, creating more ways for karma to drop, theft, scams, and destruction all carry karma penalties. The 2026 Roadmap includes a reputation system in Q1 that will add a local community standing mechanic alongside karma, giving antisocial behavior more immediate consequences during a Zoi's lifetime.
Friendly conversations and positive social interactions
Helping other Zois with tasks or providing emotional support
Maintaining clean surroundings, proper trash disposal, cleaning
Fulfilling responsibilities like paying utility bills on time
Participating in community activities and social events
Being a reliable parent or household member within the family
Mediating between Zois in conflict
Fighting, threatening, or physically aggressive interactions
Stealing money, robbing ATMs, or destroying vending machines
Theft and scam operations through the Suspicious Job Agency (v0.5.0)
Littering, discarding trash improperly
Sending hostile text messages
Spreading rumors about other Zois
Selecting cruel dialogue options in conversation
Property destruction and vandalism
Karma changes are gradual. A single action does not dramatically shift the score. Sustained patterns over time determine a Zoi's karma level.
Karma falls into five categories visible on the Zoi Card (press [O]):
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Excellent | Consistently virtuous behavior. The Zoi is a positive force in the community. |
Good | More positive than negative actions over time. |
Neutral | Balanced or unremarkable moral standing. |
Bad | A pattern of antisocial behavior. At risk of becoming a ghost at death. |
Terrible | Serious offender. Will almost certainly become a ghost at death. |
The exact numeric value is not displayed directly, just the category label.
A detailed view accessible through the game's information panels. Three sections:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Individual karma | Score and level for the active Zoi. |
City karma status | Aggregate moral health of the entire city. If most Zois have good karma, city karma is high. |
Ghost population percentage | Proportion of deceased Zois who became ghosts. Indicates how close the city is to ghost town status. |
The Karma Report includes an Intervene function where the player, as the Creator, can influence Zoi behavior:
Encourage: Positive reinforcement, nudging toward better behavior.
Scold: Reprimand for bad behavior, discouraging antisocial actions.
Intervene works as a soft influence affecting behavior over time, not an instant karma adjustment.
The Karma Report also 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.
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Good or Excellent | The Zoi passes to the afterlife. No ghost is created. |
Neutral | The outcome is ambiguous, the Zoi may or may not become a ghost. |
Bad or Terrible | The Zoi becomes a ghost, lingering until their karma is restored through interactions with living Zois. |
When the ghost population grows too large, the city becomes a ghost town:
New births blocked, pregnancies fail.
New families cannot be formed.
The overall city atmosphere deteriorates.
To reverse ghost town status, improve living Zois' karma and help ghosts ascend by restoring their karma to Good through sustained positive interactions.
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 cheat resetKarma resets all Zois' karma to neutral. This wipes all accumulated karma for every living Zoi in the city. It does not affect existing ghosts.
