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Teenager Life Stage
May 8, 2026 at 09:22 AM
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The Teenager life stage is the second playable stage in inZOI, bridging the gap between the sheltered Child years and the fully unlocked Young Adult stage. During this phase, a Zoi gains significant independence: they can care for themselves, interact with most objects in the world, and are treated as a fully autonomous household member. Teenagers attend high school, unlock all 13 adult skills, and begin building the social connections that will carry them into adulthood.
Although the Teenager stage is relatively short, it introduces several important systems. The v0.2.0 update (June 2025) added teen romance, allowing teenagers to experience crushes, secret admirers, and first dates. Business relationships also become available, giving teens an early start on professional networking. However, teenagers still face key restrictions: they cannot hold jobs, set life ambitions, or attend university. Their primary obligation is high school attendance.
The Teenager stage lasts 4.5 in-game days. Since each in-game day defaults to 48 real-world minutes, this translates to roughly 7 hours and 12 minutes of real-time play at standard speed. Players who adjust their day length in the Simulation settings will see proportionally shorter or longer teen years.
When the 4.5 days elapse, the teenager automatically ages up to the Young Adult stage. There is no manual confirmation required; the transition happens at the start of a new day. The Zoi's appearance will change immediately to reflect the new age bracket, including adjustments to height, posture, and facial features. Players cannot check the exact remaining time before aging up, but they can disable aging entirely through the Options menu under Simulation settings if they wish to keep a Zoi as a teenager indefinitely.
Unlike Newborns, Toddlers, and Adolescents, Teenagers are one of the selectable age groups in the character creator. Players can create a Zoi directly as a teenager when starting a new household, giving them full control over the teen's appearance, characteristics, and personality from the outset. Teens created this way start with no prior skill progress, since they did not go through the child stage in gameplay.
Teenagers who age up naturally from the Child stage retain their existing appearance with automatic adjustments for height and body proportions. Their facial features evolve to reflect the older age bracket, though the core look established during childhood carries through.
Teenagers attend high school as their daily obligation, replacing the elementary school that children attend. Like all schools in the current version of inZOI, high school functions as a rabbit-hole activity. When the school day begins, the Zoi leaves the household lot and disappears into the school building. Players cannot follow their Zoi inside or directly control what happens during classes.
While a teenager is at school, a portrait button appears next to their character icon. Clicking this button lets you choose specific actions for the student to focus on during the school day, such as studying hard, socializing with classmates, or relaxing. These choices influence which skills receive passive gains and how the Zoi's mood is affected when they return home.
Random events may appear during the school day, presenting scenarios with multiple-choice responses. For example, a Zoi might be asked whether to help a struggling classmate or handle a conflict with a peer. Choosing to help a classmate typically builds social abilities, while handling a conflict assertively may build other developmental attributes. These events affect the Zoi's academic performance and mood for the rest of the day.
After school hours, teenagers return home and are free to pursue skill-building activities, socialize, or tend to their needs. Homework may also be assigned, and completing it on time contributes to school performance. Falling behind on schoolwork can negatively affect a teenager's mood and waste valuable time during this already short life stage.
When a Zoi ages up from Child to Teenager, the four child-exclusive skills are replaced by the 13 adult skills. The child skills (Creativity, Motor Development, Responsibility, and Social) each cap at level 5. If a child maxes out one of these skills before aging up, the game grants an Aptitude bonus that automatically sets the corresponding adult skills to level 5.
The key carry-over connections are:
Child Skill | Aptitude Bonus | Adult Skills Boosted |
|---|---|---|
Motor Development | Motor Development Aptitude | Fitness (Level 5) |
Social | Social Aptitude | |
Creativity | Creativity Aptitude | Art, Instrument, Performance (Level 5) |
Responsibility | Responsibility Aptitude | Housework, Cooking (Level 5) |
This system rewards players who invest time in child skill development. A teenager who enters the stage with multiple aptitudes already at level 5 has a meaningful head start and can immediately pursue higher-level skill activities. Teenagers created directly in the character creator do not receive these bonuses, since they bypass the child stage entirely.
All 13 adult skills become available during the Teenager stage. These are the same skills that Young Adults, Adults, and older Zois use, with no restrictions on which skills a teenager can pursue or how high they can level them.
Skill | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|
Art | Creative | Painting, drawing, and visual arts |
Social | Charisma, flirting, and social influence | |
Coffee Craft | Practical | Brewing coffee and specialty beverages |
Practical | Preparing meals and learning recipes | |
Critical Thinking | Mental | Logic, analysis, and problem-solving |
Physical | Exercise, strength, and physical endurance | |
Practical | Growing plants and managing gardens | |
Housework | Practical | Cleaning, organizing, and home maintenance |
Instrument | Creative | Playing musical instruments |
Media Production | Creative | Photography, video, and content creation |
Performance | Creative | Acting, dancing, and stage presence |
Programming | Mental | Coding and software development |
Social | Persuasion, debate, and public speaking |
Because the Teenager stage only lasts 4.5 days, skill progression is naturally limited. Most serious skill leveling happens during the Young Adult and Adult stages, which are significantly longer. That said, getting an early start on a few key skills during the teen years provides a noticeable advantage. Focus on the one or two skills most relevant to your long-term plans rather than trying to spread progress across all 13.
The v0.2.0 update (June 2025) introduced romantic interactions for teenagers. Before this update, romance was restricted to Young Adults and older. With teen romance enabled, teenagers can pursue age-appropriate romantic connections with other teen Zois.
Teen romance features include:
Crushes and secret admirers - Teenagers can develop romantic interest in other teen Zois. The game may trigger secret admirer events, adding a layer of surprise and excitement to the social experience.
First dates - Teens can ask each other out on dates to community lots and social venues. These first-date interactions are unique to the teen stage and reflect the awkwardness and charm of early romantic experiences.
Romantic gift exchanges - Teenagers can give gifts to their romantic interests, strengthening the relationship bond.
Text messaging - Teens can initiate romantic conversations through text messages on their smartphones, which can lead to deeper connections.
Flirting and shy interactions - Teen romantic interactions are portrayed with shyness and nervousness, distinct from the more confident adult romance animations.
Heartbreak and drama - Relationships can go wrong. Teenagers may experience rejection, jealousy, and heartbreak, all of which affect their mood and emotional state.
Teen romance does not include marriage, moving in together, or pregnancy. Those features remain locked until the Young Adult stage. Strong romantic connections built during the teen years carry over when the Zoi ages up, so investing in relationships early can pay off later.
Business relationships unlock during the Teenager stage, giving teens their first opportunity to build professional connections with other Zois. While teenagers cannot own or manage businesses and have no access to the job market, they can begin networking socially with adult Zois who hold professional roles.
These early connections serve as groundwork for the Young Adult stage, when the Zoi enters the workforce and can leverage existing relationships for career advancement. Building a diverse network of business contacts as a teenager saves time later, since relationship-building from scratch takes longer when balancing it against career demands and other adult responsibilities.
Teenagers cannot hold full-time careers in the current version of inZOI. Their primary obligation is high school attendance, and the game treats school as the teen's equivalent of a job. Because inZOI only allows one job-type obligation at a time, and school occupies that slot, there is no room for formal employment during this stage.
Part-time jobs for teenagers are planned as part of the 2026 content roadmap. This upcoming feature will expand the career system to include roles available to younger life stages, giving teens the ability to earn income and gain work experience alongside their school responsibilities. Until that update arrives, teenagers must rely on other household members for financial support.
Teenagers are fully autonomous Zois when it comes to managing their basic needs. Unlike children, who depend on adult household members for many activities, teenagers can feed themselves, maintain their hygiene, and manage their sleep schedule independently. They have the same need categories as adults (Hunger, Hygiene, Energy, Fun, Social, Comfort, and Bladder) and will autonomously seek out activities to satisfy declining needs.
A teenager's mood is influenced by need satisfaction, social interactions, school performance, and skill activities. Positive events like acing a school scenario, going on a successful date, or leveling up a skill provide mood boosts. Negative events like failing a school task, experiencing romantic rejection, or letting needs decay too far result in negative moods that affect performance across all activities.
Traits and characteristics also shape autonomy behavior. A Zoi with creative traits will gravitate toward art and music activities when left to their own devices, while a social Zoi will seek out interactions with other household members or neighbors. A speech bubble detailing the cause of each autonomous interaction appears when these actions are performed, helping players understand their teen's behavior patterns.
The 2026 content roadmap includes a High School Life update that will transform the school experience from a rabbit-hole system into a fully playable environment. Key features announced for this expansion include:
Playable high school campus - High school properties will become explorable locations where players can follow their Zoi through the school day.
Interactive classes and exams - Instead of the current text-based school events, players will participate directly in classroom activities and exam scenarios.
Prom and graduation - School events such as entrance ceremonies, prom night, and graduation will become interactive experiences with social and romantic gameplay opportunities.
Part-time jobs for teens - The career system will expand to include teen-accessible roles, allowing teenagers to earn income alongside their studies.
Clubs and after-school programs - The development team has mentioned considering teacher interactions, clubs, and extracurricular activities as part of the expanded school system.
This expansion represents one of the most anticipated updates for the Teenager life stage, addressing the community's long-standing request for more interactive and engaging school gameplay. The developers have stated they aim to create a real school experience rather than keeping it as a simple rabbit hole.
The 4.5-day duration is short. Prioritize activities that matter most to your long-term plans for the Zoi rather than trying to do everything.
Start leveling the one or two skills you plan to focus on as a Young Adult. Even a few levels of head start helps with career requirements and daily activities.
If your Zoi aged up from the Child stage, check which Aptitude bonuses they received. Skills already at level 5 do not need further attention, so you can invest your limited time elsewhere.
Take advantage of teen romance to build relationships early. Strong romantic connections carry over when aging up, saving time during the busier Young Adult stage.
Complete school obligations consistently. Falling behind at school affects mood and wastes precious time that could be spent on skill building or socializing.
Build friendships and business relationships now. The social network you create as a teenager remains intact in later stages and can support career advancement.
Consider disabling aging in the Simulation settings if you want more time to develop skills and relationships before moving to the Young Adult stage.
Use text messaging on the smartphone to maintain relationships with Zois your teenager cannot visit in person during school hours.
