InZOI’s early access period has already been something of a roller coaster. Indeed, the game was met with a warm reception when it launched in early access in March 2025, but opinions dipped in the weeks that followed, with player counts hitting record lows and criticisms aboutInZOI’s shallow gameplay surfacing.
Some of these criticisms came as a result ofcomparingInZOItoThe Sims 4, as doing so can make the lack of things to do inInZOIfeel very pronounced. However,The Sims 4has been out for over a decade, and it has received nineteen expansion packs, dozens of kits, free updates, and many other content add-ons.InZOIin its current state, on the other hand, is not even the complete version of the base game, and it already has a roadmap that outlines future updates that will look to address some of the game’s issues.
Comparing InZOI to The Sims 4 at Launch
A fairer comparison would be between whatInZOIwill look like when the features on its roadmap are implemented and whatThe Sims 4looked like when it launched. Even now,InZOIhas more features thanThe Sims 4had at its launch, which was considered by many to be controversial and came after the project shifted from a multiplayer game to single-player (following a disastrousSimCityrelease). This shift required that some compromises be made, and the result was thatThe Sims 4was a very different game at release than it is today.
All the updates that are planned forInZOI’s early access period are considered to be a part of its base game, and they will be free for those who have purchased it.
Indeed, many features that veteran Simmers consideredstaples were missing fromThe Sims 4when it launched. Among those missing features were pools, basements, toddlers, weather, ghosts, family trees, and more, and while they have since been added to the game, that only occurred after a decade of updates and content add-ons. It is also important to mention that many features that were added toThe Sims 4post-launch can only be accessed after purchasing content packs that cost $40.
In comparison,InZOIalready has several features that were missing fromThe Sims 4at launch, and it will have even more before its early access period is finished. Here is a list of those features, and it gives a sense of howInZOIat launch will compare toThe Sims 4on its release day:
Features likeSmartZoiaren’t included in this list, as they’re new developments in technology that didn’t exist whenThe Sims 4launched. Additionally, features that are unique toInZOI’s worldbuilding and gameplay, such as the karma system, are not included. On the other hand, some of the listed features aren’t inInZOIyet, but they will be added during early access.
