GTA has always been about violence. It's very name is a felony, and since the advent of the franchise, violence and killing have been major aspects of gameplay. Players were thrown into an open world with all kinds of weapons strewn about that you can freely pick up.
Missions have you kill certain enemies or complete objectives which require you to fight through throngs of hostile gang members. You must take revenge on opposing syndicates, usually involving killing their footsoldiers. When your criminal activity draws the ire of the authorities, you need to point your gun at the law as well.
GTA 5 and Online are no different. Most missions, jobs and Adversary Modes are some variation of "kill others". Whether there is some twist on gameplay, ulterior motive, secondary objective or other mechanics, the killing of dudes is often involved in some form — and even when it isn't, players are happy to do so anyway.
But man, what if, like, you don't want to kill all those guys? What if you don't want to plow a tank through a crowd, after which you blow up a bunch of stuff to fill a meter? What if you don't think that Vagos member is that bad a guy? What if you don't want to shoot mr. officer man?
Well, GTA 5 and Online provide more options to entertain yourself without shedding blood than previous installments in the series do. Actually, for a game that thrives on controversy kicked up because of violence, GTA 5 is packed with a surprising amount of stuff that can be enjoyed without committing mass murder.
Some of these things are actual missions or gameplay features that were intended to be played in a peaceful manner, while others are examples of emergent gameplay and "making your own fun". These features and opportunities further go to show just how versatile an entertainment platform GTA 5 is.
So if you feel like spending your next session of GTA Online without firing a single shot, just look through this guide and take your pick from a number of non-violent activities. Some of these can be used to make cash and RP, but in limited amounts, while others aren't actual features, but fun little activities you can just pass the time with.
Racing
This is the most obvious entry on this list. Racing is actually a major element of GTA Online, and it's entirely non-violent, save for the jackasses who try knocking other racers off course. Nonetheless, this is actually a decent source of cash and RP if you're a skilled racer, and competing will allow you to unlock a number of upgrades and customization items for your vehicles if you haven't already.
Sure, races can be annoying with trolls in the lobby, but when you get a decent group of rivals, or join a racing crew and drive with them, these can be great for entertainment, and beating tough and skilled opponents is a truly rewarding feeling.
Stunt Races are also an option to mix things up. Here, the traps on the courses can occasionally kill you, however it isn't your typical form of visceral video game violence, instead your car just blows up. With all kinds of weird vegetarian variants who all have different criteria, we guess you peace-loving folks also draw the line in different places.
Non-Violent Adversary Modes
GTA Online's roster of Adversary Modes is being constantly updated, with newer and new modes added pretty much with every DLC, and on their own as well. With so many modes to pick from, we can't reasonably expect you to remember them all, so we'll list those modes which aren't rife with violence.
