The next Inzoi city completely transforms the Sims rival into Stardew Valley

Hyper realistic life sim Inzoi is a strong contender to the virtual-world titan that is The Sims 4, even if Krafton still has a way to go to finish fleshing it out through early access. What I didn't expect was for it to square up to the likes of Stardew Valley. In a new letter from Hungjun 'Kjun' Kim, the Inzoi game director teases its third location, and it's been given a pretty dramatic redesign. Formerly announced as Kucingku, it's now Cahaya, a "resort-themed destination" that totally changes how your digital life plays out, making it into more of a farming game.

With such a solid foundation established, Krafton's Inzoi Studio has certainly set itself up to claim a long-time spot on our best life games list. We've recently had the launch of official mod support, and next on the list is the Inzoi August update. This is set to introduce swimming pools, playable ghosts, freelancer jobs, improvements to skills, parenting, and text messages, and a build-mode assistant powered by Krafton's AI tools. It'll also bolster the ability to edit cities, and with that comes the reveal of Cahaya.

Sadly, there are no actual glimpses of the new location today, but what Kjun has to say is pretty revealing. The name 'Cahaya' means 'light,' he explains, and it represents the zone's "variety of vibrant and refreshing experiences across exotic islands that can't be found in previous cities, such as farming, relaxing, boating, and exploring uninhabited islands." Those activities aren't just there on the side, however; they're core to the Cahaya experience.

"Because Cahaya was designed as a resort-themed city, features like jobs and schools didn't quite feel like the right fit," Kjun says. "As such we've made the decision to exclude them from this city entirely. Players instead can enjoy a self-sufficient lifestyle through activities such as farming or fishing." Given that a common complaint so far has been that life in Inzoi feels a little stiff and dry, I'm absolutely intrigued to see how this fresh twist plays out in comparison to the best games like Stardew Valley.

Kjun is quick to acknowledge the "great deal of feedback from players asking for improvements to the job system." He reassures anyone who does want to pursue a virtual career that such upgrades are planned for the next city update. Additionally, the team is also working on more natural emotional expressions, improvements for relationships, and deeper interaction options in response to community requests.

For now, kicking back seems to be the name of the game. "While developing Inzoi has been a source of great joy for me, there are times when I feel the urge to get away from it all," Kjun remarks. "Inspired by these feelings, I wanted to create a retreat for players exhausted by the motions of everyday life to unwind in." Perhaps it's the real-life hot weather talking, but that certainly sounds appealing to me right now.

Cahaya will be part of the free Inzoi August update. Kjun promises more details, including a full reveal of the new city, at Gamescom. Given that this takes place from Wednesday August 20 to Sunday August 24, I'd therefore expect the update to launch towards the very end of the month.

Now they're finally here, we've collected all Inzoi cheats together to get you free money, refill your needs, and tweak relationships to your heart's content. We've also got an explainer for Inzoi tattoos, another system Krafton is planning to expand on further with the August patch.

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