You increase karma in Inzoi by having your Zoi treat people well: compliments, encouragement, gifts, helping when asked, and staying out of crime, while insults, threats, rumours and fights push it down. What changed since launch is that you can no longer watch the number move: the v0.4.0 update in October 2025 removed the visible karma score and the karma icons from conversation options, and the developer is rebuilding karma as a behind-the-scenes “luck” stat. This guide explains the current state, the actions that still count, where the Karma Report survives, and what the announced October 2026 rework is supposed to bring.
Karma is hidden now, not gone
At Early Access launch in March 2025, karma was in your face: conversation options carried karma icons, a score sat on the Zoi, and the Psycat mascot popped up alerts when a city’s karma dipped. The developer trimmed that quickly. The v0.1.6 hotfix disabled the alerts, halved how often karma-flavoured interactions were picked, and loosened the rating scale so minor slips no longer read as “bad”.
The big change came with the v0.4.0 patch on October 30, 2025. Per the official notes, karma interactions were merged into general interactions, the karma score and the karma icons in conversation options were removed, the “Zoi Karma Status” section was deleted from the Karma Report, the karma dialogue options were removed from the City Status Control menu in City Management, and two karma donuts were pulled from the Meow Store. In a January 2026 letter the studio head acknowledged that “many of you felt disappointed when Karma was hidden”, and confirmed the direction: karma “quietly accumulates behind the scenes”, separate from the visible Reputation system that arrived with the celebrity update in spring 2026.
So the 2025 advice about picking the option with the good-karma icon no longer applies. There is no icon. You raise karma by behaving well, full stop.
Actions that raise karma
The developer has not published an itemised list since hiding the score, so the safest guide combines what the launch build rewarded with what the January 2026 letter says will count. Per that letter, the model karma-positive act is an anonymous donation: it does nothing for Reputation, because nobody sees it, but it raises karma. The intent is kindness that is not performed for an audience.
Player-compiled lists from the launch build (Game8 and the community wikis, none of them official) put the following in the positive column, and none of them have been contradicted by later patch notes:
- Complimenting a Zoi’s appearance or work, and offering encouragement or comfort. The v0.4.0 update added dedicated Comfort and Soothe interactions for sad or upset Zois.
- Giving gifts and thank-you cards. Gift reactions were rebalanced into tiers by taste in the August 2026 emotion rework, so a thoughtful gift lands better than a random one.
- Asking whether someone needs help, and helping.
- Posting kind things online and signing the environmental petition when it comes up.
Feeding the city’s cats and pandas was once gated behind good karma as a karma-builder; v0.1.5 removed that gate, so do not treat animal feeding as a karma farm. Building friendships and romance the honest way (our how to kiss guide covers the relationship gates) keeps you on the right side of the ledger, and the developer says good karma will nudge romance success rates in return.
Actions that lower karma
The negative column is easier to state: mocking, insulting, threatening and heckling, giving fake gifts, extortion, sending rumour texts, picking fights, and crime. Crime is the one with hard consequences today, because Inzoi has a working police and prison system; our guide on how to go to jail and get out covers sentences and release. The v0.10.0 update’s new Active Mode lets Zois punch and throw objects, and the notes say a punch can start a fight; expect that to count against you. Villain players get a reprieve: the January 2026 letter promises “a slider to tune how strongly Karma affects gameplay” once the rework ships.
Where to check karma today
The Karma Report still exists as a city-level view. Open the city map (M, or the Edit City button), go to the Manage Zois area and open the Karma Report; the launch build labelled the resulting screen the Soul Management Report. That path comes from player guides written at launch, so if your build has moved it, look under City Management. Since v0.4.0 the per-Zoi “Zoi Karma Status” section is gone, so the report tells you about the city, not about one character.
What the rework will change
Two official documents describe where karma is going. The January 2026 letter says karma will “slightly twist the results of certain actions and choices” rather than force outcomes: with enough good karma there is a tiny chance a “death” result flips to survival or a failed pregnancy attempt succeeds, and everyday life gets small edges in business footfall, dreams, sales ratings, gathering, fishing and romance. Bad karma mirrors all of that against you. All numbers were described as still in tuning.
The first-anniversary roadmap published March 27, 2026 then scheduled “Karma System Improvements” for October 2026: a system to track a Zoi’s karma over their whole life, and a Karma Report with a summary feature. That is the update that should make karma readable again. Until it lands, play kind, and check the Inzoi guides hub for the follow-up. The old idea that meditation raises karma came from launch-era player reports and has never appeared in official notes; our how to meditate guide treats it as a mood tool, not a karma one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I see my karma score any more? The v0.4.0 update (October 2025) removed the score, the conversation icons and the per-Zoi status from the Karma Report. Karma is now tracked invisibly.
Is karma the same as reputation? No. Reputation is public perception and arrived with the celebrity update; karma reflects private conduct. The developer’s example: an anonymous donation raises karma but not reputation.
What is the fastest way to raise karma? Repeated kind social interactions (compliments, comfort, help, gifts) with no crimes in between. There is no confirmed shortcut item since the karma donuts were removed.
Does meditating raise karma? There is no official confirmation. Treat meditation as an emotion and fitness activity until the October 2026 rework says otherwise.
When does the karma rework arrive? The developer’s March 2026 roadmap lists it for October 2026, with a lifetime karma tracker and a summarised Karma Report.