What is Smart Zoi?

Smart Zoi is an experimental setting in inZOI. It turns the NPCs of the city into autonomous characters. An on-device language model drives them. The model runs on your own PC, not on a server.

NVIDIA describes the feature in its post about the launch of inZOI. Each Zoi adapts to its surroundings and to its personality. At the end of each day, the Zoi changes its schedule based on what happened.

You can also watch the thoughts of a Zoi as they appear. You can type free text to change what the Zoi does. You can type free text to change its life goals too.

This post covers what the feature does, what it needs, and what we could not confirm. You are on the LifeSim blog. LifeSim also uses AI characters, so we say where our game differs.

A small model on your own graphics card

NVIDIA says a small language model of about 0.5 billion parameters drives the Zois. The model is a Mistral NeMo Minitron model. NVIDIA also says that GeForce RTX graphics cards alone accelerate the model.

A model of this size is small. Large chat models have many times more parameters. A small model uses less memory and answers faster. The cost is a narrower range of answers.

A schedule that changes each day

A normal NPC in a life sim follows a fixed script. It wakes up, goes to work, and goes home. A Smart Zoi changes this plan at the end of the day. The change depends on what happened to the Zoi that day.

NVIDIA gives no example. We do not know how large a change can be. We do not know how often a Zoi breaks its routine.

Thoughts you can read and steer

NVIDIA says you can see the thoughts of a Zoi in real time. You can also steer it with free text. The text changes what the Zoi does and what the Zoi aims for in its life.

Steam describes a related idea. The Steam page says that Zois act on their own personalities. It says they form relationships, rumors, and trends. It also says that text input can influence their actions and thoughts. This relies on an on-device small language model.

NVIDIA says you activate the experimental feature called Smart Zoi. The post does not say where the setting is in the menus. We did not find an official page that lists the steps.

Open the settings of the game and look for the experimental features. Do not expect the setting on a Mac or on a PC without a GeForce RTX card. See the next section.

The setting is experimental. The game is in Early Access. The Steam page warns that the Early Access build may be unstable and may change a lot. The name, the place, and the behavior of the setting can change.

You need a GeForce RTX graphics card. NVIDIA says the model is accelerated on GeForce RTX cards exclusively. The post lists no minimum card.

PC Games Hardware reports that the feature needs very strong hardware. It names a top-end setup with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and a GeForce RTX 4080 or a Radeon RX 7900 XTX. We read this from the report, not from the studio. Treat it as an estimate.

For the normal specs of the game, read inZOI system requirements. The Smart Zoi setting has stricter needs than the base game.

Probably yes, for the model itself. The model runs on the device. Steam lists the game as single-player. We did not find an official statement about the Smart Zoi setting and the internet.

For the full answer about the game, read can you play inZOI offline.

No. The word AI covers many different things in a life sim. Keep three kinds apart.

• Generative tools for making things. inZOI lets you make textures from text. Steam lists AI texture for outfits and furniture. Wikipedia notes that the use of generative AI drew negative reviews in May 2025.
• Small models for behavior. Smart Zoi is this kind. The model changes the plans of an NPC.
• Large models for talk. You write a line, and an NPC answers in its own words. This is a different kind of AI character.

Our guide to AI life simulator games compares the kinds in more detail.

LifeSim is a browser game. It does not need a GeForce RTX card. The characters of LifeSim AI NPCs run on our servers. You need only a browser and an internet connection.

In LifeSim, you talk to a character in plain words. The character answers in its own words. The character remembers what you said. The characters also tell each other what they saw.

NVIDIA describes steering by free text and reading thoughts. NVIDIA does not describe a chat with every Zoi. We did not find proof either way, so we make no claim.

Choose inZOI if you like a detailed 3D house, a rich Create a Zoi tool, and a strong PC. Choose LifeSim if you like to talk to people on a real street and you play on any device. See games like inZOI for more choices.

The sources do not answer these points. We do not guess.

• The menu path of the setting.
• The lowest graphics card that runs the model.
• How the setting behaves today, after the patches since March 2025.
• Whether the setting works with a mod or with a save from before the setting.
• Whether the Mac version has the setting. NVIDIA says the model runs on GeForce RTX cards only.

The NVIDIA post is from March 2025. Wikipedia lists the Windows launch as March 28, 2025. Check the Steam page and the patch notes of the game before you buy for this feature.

Is Smart Zoi free?

The setting is part of the game. The base game costs $39.99 on Steam. See is inZOI free.

Does Smart Zoi need an NVIDIA card?

NVIDIA says GeForce RTX cards alone accelerate the model.

Can Smart Zoi chat with me?

NVIDIA says you can steer a Zoi with free text. It does not describe a normal chat.

Does inZOI have multiplayer?

Steam lists single-player. Read does inZOI have multiplayer.

• NVIDIA: ACE autonomous game characters debut in inZOI
• inZOI on Steam
• inZOI on Wikipedia
• PC Games Hardware: inZOI and NVIDIA ACE