The most realistic-looking Sims 4 competitor I've ever seen is bringing its character creator to Steam, and I still can't believe it comes from the PUBG studio

inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
(Image credit: Krafton)

Amid all the recent Sims-like chaos, such as Life by You's cancellation, the hyper-realistic inZOI seems to still be going strong - with a playable glimpse of its character creator coming soon.

As a dedicated stan of The Sims 4 myself, I've always got my eye on any upcoming games that may resemble EA's life sim banger - and that includes inZOI, a title from PUBG developer Krafton that's far more visually concerned with realism than The Sims. First revealed back in 2023, inZOI has since made waves online thanks to its unique use of Unreal Engine 5 - and I personally don't think that the genre has ever seen such realistic in-game people.

Soon, we'll get to play with those people - Krafton announced that inZOI's Character Studio, the game's stunning take on EA's Create-A-Sim, is coming to Steam for a limited time this month. The dev explains that the playable character creator allows you to "edit and elevate the appearance of your Zois," with the ability to choose everything from eyebrows to outfits. If this is all a dream - please don't pinch me.

inZOI: Character Studio Official Announcement - YouTube inZOI: Character Studio Official Announcement - YouTube
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Any "Zois," inZOI's version of Sims, that players create will carry over to the full game once it releases later this year - so "don't worry, create as many as you can!" We don't have to wait much longer to hop into the Character Studio either - it's available entirely for free via Steam between August 21 and August 26. Is that enough time for me to make every single Zoi my brain conjures up? Probably not - but I'm going to try nonetheless.

While you wait, here are 10 games like The Sims 4 to check out right now. 

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Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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