Needs

Overview

Every Zoi has eight Needs that decay over time. These Needs represent the basic physical and mental requirements for a Zoi to stay alive, healthy, and emotionally balanced. If certain Needs stay critically low for too long, the Zoi's health deteriorates and they can die. The Needs panel appears at the bottom of the screen as a row of colored gauges. Double-clicking any Need icon causes the Zoi to automatically attempt to fulfill it, selecting an appropriate interaction on their own.

Needs are split into two groups: Physical (Hunger, Sleep, Hygiene, Bathroom) and Mental (Fun, Social, Recognition, Energy). Physical needs keep the body alive and functional. Neglecting them leads to discomfort, embarrassment, or death. Mental needs affect mood, productivity, and long-term wellbeing. A Zoi with satisfied mental needs is more efficient at work, learns skills faster, and maintains stronger relationships.

The speed at which each Need decays depends on several factors: the Zoi's trait, their current emotional state, their life stage, and whether any Meow Store donuts are active. Some activities restore multiple Needs at once, while others drain one Need to restore another (for example, exercising lowers Energy but raises Fun for a sporty Zoi).

Gauge Colors

Each Need gauge changes color based on how full or empty it is:

When a Need reaches the red zone, an icon flashes on the Zoi's portrait. If autonomy is turned on, the Zoi will try to address the problem themselves, but they do not always make optimal choices under pressure.

Physical Needs

Physical Needs represent a Zoi's material requirements for survival. They cover hunger, rest, personal hygiene, and bladder relief. Two of the four physical Needs (Hunger and Sleep) can be fatal if neglected completely.

Hunger

Hunger tracks how well-fed the Zoi is. A full gauge means the Zoi has eaten recently; an empty gauge means they are starving. The Hunger gauge decays steadily over time and empties faster when the Zoi is performing physically demanding activities.

How to fulfill: Feed the Zoi through a refrigerator, vending machine, food truck, or restaurant. Cooking meals at home provides the most efficient hunger restoration, especially at higher skill levels. A level 5 chef's steak fills the Hunger gauge significantly more than a level 0 Zoi's pancakes. Pocket Market delivery is also an option when no kitchen is available; ordering through the phone app brings food to the Zoi's front door without requiring any cooking.

Starvation Timeline

All food fills the Hunger need, though some meals are more satisfying than others. Quick snacks from a vending machine provide a small boost, while a full home-cooked meal from a high-skill cook can nearly fill the gauge entirely. Drinking water also provides a small amount of Hunger relief.

Death timeline: The Hunger gauge empties after approximately 2 in-game days without food. Once it empties, a warning cascade begins: the first 12 hours are uncomfortable. A 24-hour warning period follows. In the final 12 hours, a notification appears stating the Zoi is enduring severe hunger ("On the Brink of Starvation") and may die if not fed. The total time from last meal to starvation death is roughly 3 to 4 in-game days. Children cannot starve; they are sent to Child Protection Services instead.

Ghost behavior: A Zoi who dies of starvation becomes a ghost that can make nearby living Zois feel hungry. The ghost must also eat to satisfy its own lingering Hunger need, and it tends to haunt kitchens, cook food, and control the TV.

Sleep

Sleep tracks how tired the Zoi is. This gauge depletes through normal daily activity and drains faster during intense physical or mental tasks. A well-rested Zoi performs better at work and learns skills more efficiently.

How to fulfill: Send the Zoi to a bed for full rest, or let them nap in a chair, on a couch, or on a bench for partial recovery. Beds provide the best restoration rate, and higher-quality beds allow Zois to fall asleep faster and wake up more refreshed. Sleeping takes several in-game hours, so it is wise to handle time-sensitive tasks (like arriving at work on time) before putting a Zoi to bed. Other household members can be controlled while one Zoi sleeps.

Sleep Deprivation Timeline

Some traits affect Sleep decay: Dreamers need more sleep (faster decay), while Scholars can stay up later (slower decay).

Death timeline: The Sleep gauge empties after approximately 2 in-game days without rest. The same warning cascade follows: 12 hours of discomfort, then a 24-hour warning. In the final 12 hours, a "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" notification warns that if the Zoi does not rest, it could prove fatal. The game shows visual warning signs (stumbling, disorientation) before collapse. Children faint instead of dying.

Ghost behavior: A Zoi who dies from sleep deprivation becomes a ghost that can force nearby living Zois to fall asleep. The ghost itself still needs sleep and tends to haunt bedrooms, disturb other Zois' rest, and manipulate lights.

Hygiene

Hygiene measures the Zoi's cleanliness. The gauge depletes naturally over time and drops faster when the Zoi exercises, works in dirty environments, or lives in a messy home. Dirty furniture, floors, and rugs accumulate grime over time and cause the Hygiene gauge to drain more quickly.

How to fulfill: Use a shower or bathtub for the most effective restoration. Washing hands at a sink provides a smaller boost. Keeping the home clean with regular mopping and wiping down surfaces also slows Hygiene decay.

Low Hygiene will not kill a Zoi, but it makes nearby Zois uncomfortable and can effectively isolate them socially. Other Zois react with visible discomfort and may refuse to interact. Perfectionists have faster Hygiene decay, making cleanliness a constant concern for them.

Bathroom

The Bathroom need tracks the Zoi's bladder. It rises naturally, especially after eating and drinking. This need is straightforward but ignoring it leads to one of the most embarrassing situations in the game.

How to fulfill: Use any toilet or public washroom stall. Public restrooms can be found in parks, commercial buildings, and various venues around the city.

If ignored too long, the Zoi has an accident in public, which triggers the Embarrassed emotion and causes the Recognition gauge to drop sharply. While not lethal, repeated accidents can snowball into a Recognition crisis if the Zoi lacks other sources of acknowledgment. Having multiple bathrooms in a household prevents Zois from waiting in line and risking accidents.

Mental Needs

Mental Needs affect a Zoi's emotional stability, motivation, and social wellbeing. While only one mental need (Recognition) can cause a Zoi to permanently leave the household, neglecting any mental need leads to cascading mood problems that make every other aspect of life harder to manage.

Fun

Fun tracks the Zoi's desire to do something enjoyable. What counts as "fun" depends on the individual Zoi's preferences, traits, and hobbies. A Zoi who loves reading restores Fun faster from books than from watching TV. A sporty Zoi gets more Fun from exercise than from playing video games. Activities that align with a Zoi's preferences are always more effective at restoring Fun than generic options.

How to fulfill: Have the Zoi participate in activities they enjoy. This can include watching TV, playing video games, reading, exercising, listening to music, visiting entertainment venues, dancing, or engaging in personal hobbies. Social activities like karaoke or dancing can fulfill both Fun and Social at the same time.

When Fun bottoms out, the Zoi gets Bored, which slows skill development and makes them less productive at work. Sentinels have slower Fun decay, meaning they stay entertained longer than average.

Social

Social tracks the Zoi's need to interact with other Zois. This need is about connection and belonging. Every Zoi needs at least some social contact, but the rate of decay varies dramatically based on personality.

How to fulfill: Engage in conversations, paired activities, and Social Events. A successful conversation raises Social more than a failed one. Calling friends to hang out, meeting new people in public spaces, hosting gatherings, and using social media all contribute. Parties and events are particularly efficient because they provide sustained social interaction over a longer period.

Introverted traits (Explorer, Individualist) have slower Social decay, meaning they can go longer without interacting before feeling lonely. Extroverted traits like Entertainer burn through Social faster and need more frequent interaction. Socialization also affects Karma, which impacts overall city metrics and how receptive other Zois are during conversations.

Recognition

Recognition measures the Zoi's desire to be acknowledged and valued by others. This is the most unique need in the game because its failure condition does not involve death. Instead, a Zoi with critically depleted Recognition will run away from home and never return.

How to fulfill: Complete work or school tasks, discuss achievements with other Zois, receive compliments, gain awards, level up skills, and accomplish meaningful goals. Leadership roles at work and high Karma also contribute to keeping this need stable.

Consequences of Low Recognition

Go-Getters have faster Recognition decay, meaning they constantly crave acknowledgment and need to accomplish things regularly. Volunteers have slower Recognition decay, staying content with less external validation.

Consequence of neglect: Severe, prolonged lack of Recognition does not directly kill the Zoi. Instead, after roughly 12 hours of depression, a 24-hour warning period begins. The game displays a notification: "In 12 hours, they may choose to disappear without anyone knowing." If the need is not addressed, the Zoi runs away and a message appears: "Deeply disheartened by the feeling of not being acknowledged, [Zoi] eventually left everything behind and walked away." The Zoi permanently vacates a spot in the household. No ghost is produced, but other Zois mourn their departure. A Zoi with no relationships and no accomplishments is at the highest risk. This makes Recognition the only need that removes a Zoi from gameplay without causing death.

Energy

Energy represents overall vitality for daily tasks. It is different from Sleep. A Zoi can be well-rested (Sleep gauge full) but still low on Energy if they have been doing monotonous or draining activities back to back. Think of Sleep as physical rest and Energy as mental freshness and motivation.

How to fulfill: Energy is replenished through preferred activities, novel tasks, or simply doing something the Zoi genuinely enjoys. Resting in a chair provides a small recovery. Engaging in a hobby or switching to a different type of activity after extended repetitive work also helps. Getting adequate Sleep contributes indirectly by preventing Energy from draining as fast.

Adventurers maintain Energy longer (slower decay) because they thrive on novelty. Mediators lose Energy faster, especially during conflict or monotonous tasks.

Overwork risk: If a Zoi has critically low Energy and continues performing energy-draining activities without rest, they can die from overwork. This is separate from sleep deprivation. A Zoi can be technically rested but still die from pushing through too many demanding activities back to back. As a ghost, overwork victims drain other Zois' energy and break computers.

How Needs Interact

Needs are interconnected and rarely exist in isolation. A hungry Zoi loses Energy faster. A Zoi with low Social may find less Fun in activities they normally enjoy. Neglecting one need cascades into others and can quickly spiral out of control. The reverse is also true: a Zoi with full Hunger and good Sleep handles everything else more efficiently.

Emotions also affect need decay rates. When Annoyed, the Fun need drops faster than normal. When Embarrassed (such as after a Bathroom accident), Recognition decays quickly. When Nervous, Energy drains faster. The Tranquil (also called Content) emotion slows all need decay rates, making it one of the most beneficial emotional states for need management.

Unmet needs also influence a Zoi's autonomous behavior. A Zoi with low Fun will seek out entertainment on their own. A Zoi with low Social will try to strike up conversations with nearby Zois. A hungry Zoi will head to the kitchen. Understanding these connections helps players anticipate problems before they become emergencies.

Furniture and Food Quality

The quality of furniture and food directly affects how efficiently needs are restored.

Beds: Higher-priced beds let Zois fall asleep faster and wake up more refreshed. A cheap bed might leave the Zoi groggy, while a premium bed restores Sleep and Energy more effectively. Investing in a quality bed is one of the best early-game purchases for any household.

Showers and bathtubs: Better bathroom fixtures restore Hygiene more efficiently per use. A basic shower gets the job done, but a high-end bathtub provides a larger Hygiene boost per session.

Cooking skill and food quality: The quality of food depends on the cook's Cooking skill level. Food prepared by a high-skill Zoi fills the Hunger need more effectively, meaning the household spends less time and money on food overall. Quick snacks from a vending machine provide a small Hunger boost, while a full meal from a skilled chef can nearly fill the gauge in one sitting.

Home cleanliness: Dirty furniture, floors, and rugs cause the Hygiene gauge to drain faster for all Zois living in the home. Regular cleaning or using the Pocket Market Home Services tab to hire a cleaner prevents this penalty.

Trait Effects on Needs

Each Trait has a specific effect on need decay or emotional duration. These effects are permanent and cannot be changed after character creation. Choosing the right trait is an important part of building a Zoi whose needs align with the player's intended playstyle.

When selecting a trait, consider how it interacts with the Zoi's intended lifestyle. A Dreamer who works a demanding night-shift job will struggle with Sleep constantly. A Go-Getter who lives alone with no social circle will burn through Recognition quickly. Pairing a trait with complementary furniture, routines, and social environments makes need management considerably smoother.

Autonomy and Needs

When autonomy is turned on, Zois handle basic survival needs on their own. They eat when hungry, sleep when tired, and use the bathroom without being told. They occasionally make poor choices (skipping a meal to watch TV, sleeping too long when they should be at work), but they generally keep themselves alive. Autonomous Zois prioritize critical needs first, meaning a starving Zoi will seek food before trying to have fun.

Turning autonomy off by pressing [T] gives full manual control, which is useful for specific situations but means the player is responsible for every need. In a multi-Zoi household, many players leave autonomy on for background Zois while manually controlling the active one.

When a Need reaches the red zone with autonomy enabled, the Zoi's behavior becomes less predictable. They may abandon their current task mid-action to address the urgent need, which can interrupt work or social events. Planning ahead and keeping needs in the yellow-to-white range prevents these disruptive autonomous interruptions.

Need Consequences Summary

Children and Needs

Children and toddlers share the same eight needs as adult Zois, but the consequences of neglect differ in important ways. Children cannot die from neglected needs. Instead, the game's Child Protection Services system intervenes when a child's needs remain critical for too long.

If a baby or toddler is not fed, they will not starve. Instead, they are taken by the Child Protection Agency and removed from the household. The same applies to other critically neglected needs. Children who would otherwise die from sleep deprivation simply faint instead, and the game gives the player a chance to address the situation before removal occurs.

Toddlers require more hands-on care because they cannot independently fulfill most of their needs. They need an older Zoi to feed them, put them to bed, and help with hygiene. Having at least one responsible adult in the household at all times is essential for keeping toddler needs stable. Toddlers have different skills than older Zois, but their needs work identically.

Pocket Market and Food Delivery

The Pocket Market is a smartphone app that allows Zois to order food, cooking ingredients, and drinks delivered directly to their front door. This is especially useful for Zois with no Cooking skill or for households without a kitchen.

Ordering food delivery through Pocket Market brings a packaged meal to the Zoi's front door. The Zoi simply picks it up and eats. While delivery food is generally less filling than a home-cooked meal from a skilled chef, it requires zero time spent cooking and is available at any hour.

The Pocket Market also offers a Home Services tab where players can hire cleaners (to address Hygiene-related home cleanliness), babysitters (to help with toddler needs), and repairpeople (to fix broken furniture). These services help manage needs indirectly by keeping the home in good condition.

Need Cheats

Several cheats affect needs. Open the cheat console with Ctrl + Shift + C (after enabling cheats through Psycat's Advice):

Important: The cheat console uses different IDs than the UI display names. Bathroom = "Toilet", Hygiene = "Cleanliness", Recognition = "Admit", Social = "Society". For example, to fill only the Bathroom need, type setNeedsFull Toilet. Cheats are officially supported and do not disable achievements.

Note that freezeAllNeeds only affects the currently selected player Zoi. If you want to freeze needs for every Zoi in the city (including NPCs), use freezeAllNeedsSystem instead. Enabling freezeAllNeedsSystem overrides freezeAllNeeds.

Meow Store Donuts

The Meow Store sells donuts purchased with Meow Coins that provide temporary need-related buffs. All donut effects are temporary; none of them last longer than 24 hours. The timer begins the instant the donut is purchased. Donuts come in three categories for needs:

Filling Donuts

These donuts instantly fill a specific need gauge to maximum:

Slow-Depletion Donuts

These donuts drastically reduce the depletion speed of a specific need for a limited time:

Enduring Donuts

These donuts completely prevent a specific need from depleting for their duration:

Donuts are emergency measures and convenience items, not long-term solutions. The boost is temporary and needs resume normal decay once the donut expires. The most cost-effective approach is to use Filling Donuts for immediate emergencies and Enduring Donuts before particularly busy days when there is no time to eat or sleep.

Tips

• Double-click a need gauge to make the Zoi automatically address it. This is the fastest way to handle an urgent need without manually finding an interaction.

• Keep a well-stocked kitchen at home. Cooking meals provides the most efficient Hunger restoration, and improving the cook's skill level makes each meal more satisfying.

• A clean, well-decorated home helps prevent Uncomfortable and Annoyed emotions that accelerate need decay across the board.

• Watch the Recognition need closely. It is the only need that causes permanent loss (the Zoi runs away) rather than death.

• Invest in high-quality beds early. Better beds mean faster sleep, more efficient rest, and less wasted time. This frees up hours for work, socializing, and skill-building.

• If your Zoi has the Perfectionist trait, place extra cleaning stations (showers, sinks) around the house to keep up with their faster Hygiene decay.

• Use the Pocket Market for food delivery when your Zoi has no time to cook. It is not as filling as a home-cooked meal, but it prevents starvation during a busy schedule.

• Plan around trait weaknesses. A Dreamer benefits from an early bedtime routine. A Go-Getter needs regular accomplishments to keep Recognition stable.

• Children cannot die from neglected needs but will be removed by Child Protection Services if needs stay critical for too long. Keep at least one responsible adult in the house at all times.

• Install multiple bathrooms in larger homes to prevent Zois from waiting in line and risking accidents.

• Social activities like dancing, karaoke, and group outings can fulfill both Fun and Social at the same time, making them efficient choices when both needs are low.

• Arrange furniture efficiently to reduce travel time between need-fulfilling objects. A kitchen near the dining area, a bathroom near the bedroom, and entertainment near the living room all save valuable in-game minutes.