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The overwhelming popularity of GTA Online is something to admire after all these years. But some players, more so newer players, are still discovering features they never paid much attention to. One of those is Passive Mode. Depending on how you want to play GTA Online, you’ll need to learn all about Passive Mode and how to disable or enable it.
What is Passive Mode?
In GTA Online, Passive Mode is exactly as it sounds. It allows you to explore this often busy online world passively. Meaning: no one can hurt you (unless you’re inside a Weaponized Vehicle).
To some, it may seem a bit contradictory to show up in a Grand Theft Auto game and not get shot at, beat up, or robbed. But some major issues can crop up in an online multiplayer game like the unfortunate sighting of trolls and griefers.
Some people like to grief, following the same people around just to continually kill them or ruin their good time no matter what. Thankfully, GTA Online offers you a way to avoid that with the Passive Mode feature.
Or maybe you just want to enjoy the game either solo or with friends without worrying about strangers? That’s valid too. Just know that if you want the freedom to engage with others, especially if you’re roleplaying, ensure that you disable Passive Mode instead.
How to Disable Passive Mode in GTA Online
Now, if you can handle the griefers or simply want to embrace the chaos that is GTA Online, you can disable Passive Mode easily enough. The quickest way is to do this:
- Bring up your Interaction Menu
- PC: M on the keyboard
- Xbox: Hold the view button
- PlayStation: Hold the touchpad
- Look for “Passive Mode” near the bottom and select “Disable Passive Mode”
- It will instead say “Enable Passive Mode” if you’ve already disabled it
If you want, you can also pause the game and disable Passive Mode by going to Online > Options. There’s a brief cooldown period when you change the setting. This cooldown happens too if you’re out there killing other players. So, keep in mind you can’t so easily abuse the feature if you’re the one griefing others.
