InZoi’s Build Mode Rewrites Sims Rules

Sims veterans diving into InZoi’s build mode might feel right at home—until the game throws a curveball that leaves them scratching their heads.

InZoi, the gutsy newcomer taking a swing at The Sims’ crown in the life sim arena, has landed on Steam Early Access. Naturally, players are jumping in, spending their first hours tweaking characters and tinkering in build mode to craft their dream homes. After all, why rush into the life sim grind before your virtual pad is pixel-perfect?

For those who’ve logged countless hours in The Sims and are itching to see how InZoi stacks up, here’s a heads-up: its build mode has some quirks that’ll catch you off guard if you’re not ready. One wrong move, and you might accidentally gut your house instead of giving it a glow-up. Don’t sweat it, though—we’ve got the lowdown to help you navigate InZoi’s home-building chaos.

If you’re rolling in fresh from The Sims 4, you’re probably used to a build mode where everything’s a breeze—one click, and you’re moving walls or plopping down a lamp like a pro. InZoi shakes things up with a bit more complexity, mostly because it’s packing deeper customization options. But there are a couple of core differences that’ll trip you up if you don’t see them coming.

First off, it’s all about picking the right tool. Out of the gate, you’re in the “Selection Tool” mode—great for shifting individual stuff like your TV or bed. But here’s the kicker: if you grab a wall in this mode, you’re just moving that wall. The room it’s part of? Doesn’t budge. Want to stretch a room or supersize your house? You’ll need to swap to the Room Selection Tool, tucked up top in the build mode toolbar, right next to its simpler sibling. It’s a small switch, but miss it, and you’re in for some serious frustration.

Then there’s the customization game—InZoi takes it to another level. Furniture, appliances, even staircases? You can tweak them to your heart’s content, but only after you’ve dropped them into your space. Take a chair: pick it from the menu, set it down, then click it again to unlock a treasure trove of options—colors, textures, even slapping your own images on it. Want your couch decked out in cat pics? Go for it. The game’s AI can even whip up custom textures if you’re feeling fancy. Problem is, this setup can backfire with trickier items. Say you want a staircase that bends halfway up to save space—you’ve got to place a full, straight one first, then tweak it. By then, you’ve already carved out room for the bigger version, which kinda defeats the point. It’s a puzzle you’ll need to outsmart as you go.

Once you’ve got these quirks down, InZoi’s build mode starts feeling familiar—same vibe as The Sims, just with a slicker UI. But there’s one more oddity that’ll throw you for a loop, and it’s a doozy.

When I first set up my Zoi crew, I plopped them into what looked like a modest apartment in Dowon—think ground-floor gym, three floors of cozy living space above. I figured my family snagged the first floor, sharing the building with neighbors. Nope. Turns out, the whole dang place was mine. No neighbors, no locked-off floors—just a blank canvas waiting for me to build staircases and claim it all. What I thought was a cramped flat morphed into a sprawling mansion in about ten minutes flat. IRL, buildings don’t work like that, and InZoi didn’t exactly shout this from the rooftops. So if your family’s feeling squeezed, double-check—you might already be sitting on a goldmine of extra space.

InZoi hits Steam Early Access on March 27 for $40, but you don’t have to wait to dip your toes in. The InZoi Creative Studio is free to grab right now—through the 22nd, you can unlock it by catching streams on Twitch or the Steam page. Starting the 23rd, it’s open season for downloads, no strings attached. Whether you’re a Sims diehard or just curious, InZoi’s build mode is worth a spin—just don’t be surprised when it rewrites the rules you thought you knew.