Relationships

Overview

Relationships are the connective tissue between Zois. Every conversation, shared activity, and life event either strengthens or weakens the bond between two characters. These connections directly affect quality of life. A Zoi with strong friendships and a loving partner has better emotions, recovers needs faster, and generally performs better at work and in daily routines. A Zoi with no connections at all risks having their Recognition need bottom out, which can eventually lead to death from lack of recognition.

There are four relationship types in inZOI: Family, Romance, Friendship, and Business. Each type has its own progress bar and fills independently based on the category of interactions a Zoi performs. Talking about work fills the Business bar. Flirting fills the Romance bar. A single Zoi can have all four bars active with the same person.

Viewing relationships

Press [R] or click the Relationship icon next to the character portrait to open the relationship panel. This panel lists every Zoi the active character has met, sorted by connection strength. Each entry shows the four relationship bars and a small portrait. Click any entry to see details, including the relationship history and any Shared Memories accumulated over time.

The relationship panel also provides a shortcut to the Call Over action. Select a Zoi from the list and pick Call Over to summon them to the active Zoi's current location. This only works with Zois who already have an existing connection.

Relationship types

Friendship

Friendship can form between any two Zois regardless of age or household. Friendly conversation, playing together, sharing meals, and attending social events all contribute to the Friendship bar. This is the easiest relationship type to build because Friendly interactions are available from the first meeting. Children form friendships at school, at parks, and through neighborhood play. Adults build them at work, at the gym, or during parties.

Romance

Romantic relationships require both Zois to be at the Adult life stage or older. The Romance bar fills through flirtation, dates, physical affection, and romantic gestures. Once both Zois reach the Mutual Crush threshold, the relationship can progress toward True Love, engagement, and marriage. See the full Romance article for detailed progression steps.

Family

Family bonds form after marriage, through pregnancy and birth, or through household setup in Edit City. When creating or editing a household, players assign roles like Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, or Roommate. These roles automatically establish Family relationship bars. Family bonds are generally the strongest and most stable connections in the game. See the full Family article for household management details.

Business

Business relationships develop through professional interactions. Coworkers who share a career workplace build Business rapport by working together, discussing work topics, and completing tasks side by side. Business interactions are available under the dedicated Business conversation category when clicking another Zoi. Business relationships have no age restriction as long as both Zois are employed.

Trait compatibility

Traits affect how quickly relationships grow or stagnate. Some trait pairings have natural chemistry and build rapport faster. For instance, two outgoing Zois (Charmer and Entertainer) tend to connect quickly because their personalities align. Incompatible pairings (an Individualist paired with a Socialite, for example) may find conversation awkward and progress slower. Trait compatibility does not block any relationship type outright. Even the most incompatible pairing can eventually form a strong bond with enough persistence.

Shared Memories

Shared Memories record the milestones of a relationship. These appear in the relationship detail view and include events like first meetings, confessions of love, breakups, divorces, engagements, marriages, and betrayals. Players can scroll through the timeline to see a complete history between two Zois. Shared Memories are permanent. Even after a breakup, the memory of the confession and the breakup both remain on the record.

Key conversations

Certain dialogue options during conversation are marked with a special icon. These are key conversations that reveal hidden information about a Zoi's background, personality, or secrets. Choosing a key conversation at the right moment can deepen a relationship significantly. However, asking personal or probing questions too early, before sufficient trust has been established, can backfire and lower the relationship bar instead.

Gift-giving

Gifts are sent through the Contacts app on the Smartphone. Open Contacts, select the recipient, and choose a gift. The gift arrives at the recipient's home as a physical parcel. Giving gifts raises the relationship bar, with the size of the boost depending on the gift and the recipient's preferences. There is no in-person gift-giving interaction in the current build. Everything goes through the phone.

Relationship decay

Relationships that are ignored will gradually decay over time. If a Zoi stops contacting a friend for an extended period, the Friendship bar slowly drops. The same applies to Romance, though Family bonds are more resilient and decay much more slowly. Regular contact through visits, phone calls, texts, or social events prevents decay.

Cheat codes

Several cheat codes modify relationships:

Use the obliviate cheat with caution. It erases every relationship the Zoi has formed, including Family bonds and marriage. There is no undo.