In games that give you a choice between using lethal or non-lethal force in order to overcome enemies, the former method is usually the most convenient. Some gamers [[SelfImposedChallenge like to play through such games]] while avoiding any killings that are not absolutely required, even if [[BraggingRightsReward there is no real reward]] for doing so.

Compare {{Stealth Based Game}}s and {{Stealth Based Mission}}s.

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Action Adventure ]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' makes this easier than other games in the series because of two factors: The [[{{Invisibility}} Magic Cape item]], and the fact that the game doesn't use the "lock the player in a room and the only way to get out is to kill all the monsters in it" trick as much as other games in the series.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Action Game ]]

* In an old computer game, ''Pharoah's Tomb'', you only have to kill two monsters in the first part. You do get a reward though: you have a maximum of 5 spears, and getting a 6th gives you a lot of points.
* Many of the ''TombRaider'' games have been criticized for not allowing for pacifist runs, as the player is often required to kill wildlife and human characters in order to proceed.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Driving Game ]]

* ''VideoGame/FatalRacing''. Surprisingly easy to do unconsciously before you learn how to play the crash/fatality system, surprisingly hard to do consciously after you do.
* In the classic arcade game ''Bump n' Jump'', where the objective was generally to run as many other cars off the road as you could without crashing yourself, you got ''substantial'' bonus points if you completed a level without running anyone off the road.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Fighting Game ]]

* In ''SuperSmashBros'', there's actually a bonus ("Switzerland") for clearing a stage without even attempting an attack. Given how many stages have level hazards, this isn't as difficult as it sounds to obtain.
** In the sequel, ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'', this bonus still exists, although it also requires not being attacked as well (complete neutrality). There is however, another bonus, called, "Pacifist", which does not have this extra requirement. Yet another bonus is called "Peaceful Warrior," which lets you attack an enemy but not KO them. And all of these are necessary for HundredPercentCompletion.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: First Person Shooter ]]

* Playing ''{{Postal}} 2'' without ever killing anyone gives you the end-of-game rank "Thank you for playing, JESUS!"
** The same holds true of the expansion pack, ''Apocalypse Weekend'', but it's all theoretical since it's impossible to actually beat the game without killing anyone. It's more linear and combat-oriented than the original ''Postal 2'', and there are several characters you have to kill to proceed. Even the ''zombies'' count as kills, and there are at least 2 different missions where you have to destroy a certain number of them to proceed forward.
* In the ''{{Halo}}'' trilogy, not counting bosses in 2/3 you can kill 0 enemies and win.
* In ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', only two characters ''have'' to be fought in order to complete the game; neither have to be killed and both can be circumvented. The first can have an injured NPC open the door they guard, and the second can be knocked unconscious and is also quite willing to blow himself up for you due to poor AI. The rest can be stunned or [[SkippableBoss circumvented]] in various fashions. The game encourages pacifism in the first level by having characters react positively to you if you don't slaughter everything in sight, but after that there's no longer any explicit encouragement, and it's strictly a matter of pride (although you ''will'' get bitched out for slaughtering civilians).
** The game acts as if you killed the first character even if you circumvent her, due to the game's intent of railroading you into killing. However, given the nature of the game one could always claim that she was killed by someone else for her failure and/or knowing too much after you escaped and were being framed for the killing.
** ''TheNamelessMod'' lets you avoid all enemies, including bosses. With some endings, you can finish the game as an ActualPacifist.
** ''[[TwentyTwentySeven 2027]]'' also allows this, however, you will not be able to complete the final [[spoiler: Judician mission.]]
* ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' picks this up, as even plot-critical deaths are optional. The benefits manifest differently depending on which faction wants them dead and how their death affects gameplay (keeping one person alive grants access to a weapon you won't seriously need till the end), but ultimately there are no required kills. A hidden bonus is that the wrap party has a lot more patrons the less people you kill.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', like its predecessors, can be played in a pacifist manner, except for a handful of forced boss battles. Unlike the first two games though, the bosses can't be circumvented so you have to fight and kill them. (The upcoming Wii U verison will have optional methods to non-fatally subdue bosses.) There is an achievement for doing a pacifist run (excepting the boss battles). Storyline wise, it makes sense, because the bosses are absolutely insane and have very much crossed the MoralEventHorizon.
** The game is also notable for there being scenarios that have made players willingly ''abandon'' their Pacifist Runs. It's kind of hard to keep using limited force when witnessing atrocities like [[spoiler: the Belltower massacre at the Alice Garden Pods]] or [[spoiler: Malik's murder]]. Some players reported that [[spoiler: finding Malik's corpse in the Harvester den]] led to a complete murder spree against them.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', the Medic class achievement "First Do No Harm" entails reaching the top of the scoreboard in a game of six or more players on a team without killing anyone, instead relying on assist kills while healing others. Given the likelihood of spies looking to tear you a medically redundant new behind, it's just as tough as it sounds.
** However, you can cheat by playing most of the round as another class, getting a high enough scoreboard position, switching to Medic, and then getting a single point without hurting anyone directly.
** The Scout has a similar achievement called "No Hitter", where you [[CaptureTheFlag capture the intel]] and bring it back without firing a shot (the icon is even a dove holding an olive branch above an intel case). Not nearly as hard to do, as a lot of people with the intel forgo attacking to just flat-out run anyway.
* Under the rules of the ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' speedrunning site [[http://doom2.net/~compet-n/index.cgi Compet-n]] (adopted by other sites like the [[http://www.doomworld.com/sda/doom_sda.htm Doomed Speed Demos Archive]],) one of the demo categories is "[[http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/UV_pacifist UV pacifist]]," where the player must complete a level on the "Ultra-Violence" (Hard) difficulty setting without harming any monsters. (Monster infighting and unintentional {{telefrag}}s are allowed.)
* ''{{Painkiller}}'' sort of has this as one of the card conditions in ''Battle Out of Hell''. The card condition for the Loony Park level is to finish with no more than 88 kills, meaning that the last section of the level has to be finished with minimal casualties. Fortunately, it's a rail shooter section to boot, so if the player has enough health, there's nothing stopping him from going and fetching another cup of coffee while the rail section plays out.
* In ''PerfectDark'', the player has the ability to disarm opponents. Most enemies who get disarmed will give up, but some may pull out another gun, pick up the dropped weapon, or attempt to punch the player, in which case you can simply knock them unconscious with a punch or [[PistolWhipping pistol whip]].
* Despite its reputation for [[LudicrousGibs spectacular violence]], ''SoldierOfFortune'' allows the player to pull this trope off by [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands blowing weapons out of the enemies' hands]], rendering them non-threatening. The ironic part? This is possible thanks to the GHOUL engine, the very same component responsible for the {{Gorn}}.
* Two of ''Videogame/{{Metro2033}}'''s achievements are awarded for relying on stealth instead of violence: Cross "Frontline" without killing any soldiers (of [[DirtyCommunists either]] [[ThoseWackyNazis faction]]) to get "Invisible Man", and infiltrate "Black Station" without killing any guards to get "Merciful." Notably, there's ''another'' achievement for doing the exact [[LeaveNoSurvivors oppposite]] in "Frontline," so you'll have to master both styles of play if you're going for OneHundredPercentCompletion. Avoiding killing human opponents also gives you hidden points, which counts towards the hidden/good ending.
* ''{{Dishonored}}'' has an achivement for going through the entire game without killing anyone (not even the zombie-like plague victims) - "Clean Hands." That said, you still need to subdue some important people - and doing so non-lethally will often condemn them to a FateWorseThanDeath.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: MMORP Gs ]]

* In ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'', an experience bonus is awarded to the players if they can complete a quest with zero or otherwise minimal kills.
* There is one player in ''WorldOfWarcraft'' who is actually attempting to level to 70 [[http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/01/08/15-minutes-of-fame-noor-the-pacifist/ without killing anything.]]
** This also inspires a debate as to whether a player limiting themselves to "only" healing allies really counts; if the allies kill enemies you still get the rewards.
** With the release of ''Cataclysm'', pacifist levelling became much easier due to Herbalism and Mining now granting experience for picking plants and mining ores. This can lead to the rather amusing result of some random schmoe who picked a lot of herbs becoming ''more powerful than an Old God''.
** A player successfully leveled a druid to level 90 in ''Mists of Pandaria'' without killing anything, without getting any gear to replace his starting set, and having completed only one mandatory quest.
** There is in fact a guild of people who aim for zero kills called Peace Corps. While Cataclysm introduced a variety of ways to gain experience without killing things, it also introduced viewable statistics, so it's now possible to see exactly how many kills a character has. Since grouping with someone or even just healing someone who is fighting will credit you with their kill, it is by necessity a fairly solitary path. But gives you bragging rights that the most uber geared hardcore raider can never beat.
* On the notable pre-MMORPG text MMORPG ''GemStone'' (now in its fourth iteration, as GemStone IV), it was extremely easy to get from level 0 to level 1 simply by visiting certain areas in the main town you started in, which gave you 1000-1500 experience of the 10,000 you needed simply by seeing them for the first time, as well as taking an interactive newbie tutorial which garnered you several thousand experience. However, after that, there were a couple of ways to gain experience without ever actually harming anyone. Anyone with sufficient lockpicking skill could gain experience by opening boxes that players found on dead enemies. One class, called empaths, could actually heal other people of their physical damage by transferring it to themselves, which also garnered experience points. Finally, if you really wanted, throwing trash away in trashcans gained you 1 point per item. So theoretically, you could throw away 10,000 things and level up.
* ''DiscworldMUD'' has many ways of advancing character without killing, including exploration, quests and using skills. This way is generally slower, but also requires less effort. There is even a special term for it, quoting official wiki, [[http://dwwiki.mooo.com:8080/wiki/Idlechasing "Idlechasing, the art of getting as much experience as possible by using commands, usually without going on a killing rampage or moving much"]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Platform Game ]]

* In ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'', it was possible to get past the guards by careful use of parrying and moving forward. This meant they were still there if you had to go back the way you came. The FinalBoss was the only enemy you had to kill.
* Beating ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' by only attacking bosses and mid-bosses is actually a bonus needed for HundredPercentCompletion.
* Some of the challenges in ''VideoGame/{{Contra}} 4'' are pacifism challenges, which strip you of all weapons.
* ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'' gives you an unlockable achievement, "Test of Faith", if you finish the game without killing anyone with a firearm. Funnily enough, the achievement is only for not shooting anyone; you can throw as many cops off 100-story buildings as you like and still be considered to be the Buddha.
** It's actually one of the selling points of the game that you can finish the entire thing without firing a gun at anyone, which is unique among first-person-perspective games (discounting medieval and fantasy games and the ''Myst'' series and its clones).
** Doesn't stop you punching/kicking the snot out of the opposition, though it's not like you stop to break their necks, so they probably are really just unconscious. Apart from the poor guys that get kicked/thrown/punched off buildings. Besides, those blasted [[spoiler:Pursuit Cops]] deserve it, they're like ninjas, but without the [[ConservationOfNinjutsu inverse law]]!
** For even more of a challenge, try to get the Test of Faith achievement/trophy on the hardest difficulty setting. It's very satisfying.
* The title character of adventure/platform shooter ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' wakes up to find that aliens have invaded and scientists have implanted her with nanotechnology to combat them. Iji is uneasy with the idea of killing, even though the aliens have killed most of her family. The game is designed to give you a choice - you can go in guns blazing and kill hundreds as in so many other games, or you can deliberately avoid bloodshed. The ending is the same whether you kill one or fifty enemies, but there are some {{Easter Egg}}s as a reward for completely holding your fire.
** Doing a pacifist run sometimes adds new challenges to a stage. The third stage, for example, has a requirement of not coming into contact with any Tasen soldiers. Otherwise, you won't be able to [[SkippableBoss skip]] [[spoiler:Krotera]], and will be forced to kill them.
** From version 1.3 onwards, it is possible to have a perfect zero number of kills in all but the hardest difficulty due to not being able to [[SkippableBoss skip a boss.]] [[spoiler:Given that the boss is Asha and he nearly killed her brother and called her being upset about it trivial, at least he's the most deserving example.]]
** Version 1.6 also allows a "[[TechnicalPacifist technically]]" pacifist game that can still have a high death toll, as reflecting enemy projectiles back at them no longer counts as a kill. Also, the player can deliberately get hit by rockets so that nearby enemies get killed by [[SplashDamage friendly fire]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Trine}}'' has a {{Steam}} achievement/PS3 Trophy where you have to complete a level without killing a single enemy.
* This is the point of the missions involving the Spirit of Kindness in ''Yoshi Topsy-Turvy''. The less enemies you kill, the better Happiness Medal you get.
* Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily's ''Ode to Minions'' inspired at least one person with a Youtube account to play ''Super Mario World'' without killing anything. And really, [[TearJerker it would inspire anyone to.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEojI5-IueI Just listen to it.]]
* Someone did this for ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 4'' on hard mode without saving in level. Since the game was designed assuming the player [[SaveScumming saved constantly,]] it quickly becomes [[NintendoHard very difficult.]] It can be found [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7JhQC3g2nk&feature=channel_video_title here.]]
* ''VideoGame/MarkOfTheNinja'' equips you with enough items and abilities to complete the game without killing any enemies.
* ''SonicGenerations'' on the 3DS includes missions that require this. It's guaranteed to require multiple tries [[DamnYouMuscleMemory simply because of the homing attack]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Roguelike ]]

* In ''{{Nethack}}'', 'pacifism' is one of the many voluntary conduct challenges that is tracked by the game (along with atheism, vegetarianism, breatharianism, illiteracy, etc). Put in scare-quotes since in ''{{Nethack}}'' '[[TechnicalPacifist pacifism]]' means that your ''pets'' do all the killing instead of you; you can attack the monsters all you want as long as it's not you that lands the killing blow. (You can also wear a ring of conflict to make the monsters kill each other, though then you have to make sure your (usually very powerful) pets don't kill ''you''.) There actually isn't a single creature in the game who must die (as you can steal any important items instead - this applies to Quest Nemesis, Vlad, Rodney, and the High priest), but winning without you '''or''' your pets killing anything is impossible.
** There's also the 'never hit with a wielded weapon' conduct, which holds a bit closer to the spirit of the thing (though barehanded martial arts and magic are still permitted). It can also be combined with the above for extra masochism.
* If you want to complete your Baroque collection in ''VideoGame/{{Baroque}}'', you'll have to do at least one run through the Neuro Tower without [[strike:killing]] purifying any Meta-Beings. This is made a bit tricky by the fact that certain Meta-Beings like to block your path, forcing you to hit them until they get out of your way.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Role Playing Game ]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series is notable for the possibility of not needing to kill anyone, although you ''will'' be indirectly responsible for the deaths of quite a few people (and, in some cases, populations). In most of the series it is even possible (although very hard) to do an ''evil'' pacifist run.
** While difficult due to the more combat-oriented nature of the game, it is possible to complete the main quest and most sidequests in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' without killing anything, with the exception of a single radroach during the tutorial.
** If your pacificism only applies to humans, and [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman possibly ghouls and mutants]], it's impossible to complete ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' without murdering at least one person. 3 of the 4 endings require killing Mr. House, and in the ending where you work for Mr. House, you have to [[spoiler: destroy the Brotherhood of Steel.]]
*** Though you ''can'' still do a TechnicalPacifist run, and it is possible to have an ''in-character'' pacifist run. [[spoiler: You technically don't have to ''kill'' Mr. House, you can disconnect him from the control systems instead. Unfortunately, that process exposes him to the air, which will inevitably lead to his death from infection within a year, but you're not told that until ''after'' disconnecting him.]]
** Due to the nature of the game, a PacifistRun is wholly impossible in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout Tactics|BrotherhoodOfSteel}}.''
* Feros in MassEffect has a mission where you can choose to simply knock out the colonists being controlled by the local EldritchAbomination instead of killing them. While this makes the mission much more difficult it is definitely worth it for a Paragon Shepard.
* One player managed to do this in ''MightAndMagic 7'' as shown [[http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg/msg/a9c3e4fb68765b6d here]].
* In ''PlanescapeTorment'', you can get through the whole game having to fight only four (And the zombie at the beginning who has the key out of the starting room!) characters, and you don't necessarily have to ''kill'' any of them. You're forced to "kill" the first character you have to fight this way, but it's just a NonLethalKO. Then again, this should come as little surprise in a game where a major objective is to find out why ''you'' can't die.
* ''UltimaIV'' encourages this somewhat, you still have to fight monsters to get Valor points, but letting them run away instead of killing them gives you Compassion points.
** Additionally, killing enemies that aren't evil (hungry or defensive animals and the like) will ''decrease'' your virtue points.
* In ''UltimaVI'', it's quite possible to complete the main quest without killing anybody. There are only few monster occupied areas that you must visit to advance the plot and it's possible to avoid combat in those by using invisibility rings and potions to slip by enemies unnoticed.
** In ''Ultima VII'', you only have to kill [[spoiler: Hook, Elizabeth and Abraham]] at the end.
* In the Bakumatsu chapter of ''LiveALive,'' Oboro keeps a running mental tally of how many people he's killed (only humans; ghosts, demons, and machines don't count towards this total) over the course of the chapter. Somewhat overlapping with the StealthRun, finishing the chapter with zero kills (which requires a good number of [[GuideDangIt counterintuitive steps]]) nets you his [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus 0.5 Sword]] for use in the final chapter. It's possible to get an equivalent weapon by beating a rather difficult BonusBoss.
* A common and useful GameBreaker in ''FinalFantasyVIII'' is simply to junction 100 [[TakenForGranite Break]] spells to your weapon's elemental attack and hit enemies with that when you otherwise just can't run away. Doing this keeps you from gaining experience and levels, which helps in the long run once you find decent spells to junction to your physical stats.
* It's possible to get to the final boss of ''King's Field II'' while only killing one monster: a red mushroom that you can't get past on a narrow path. You're still level 1.
* In ''AlphaProtocol'', it is possible to get through the entire game without ever using lethal force on any opponent, outside of a couple of armored vehicles and one cutscene-mandated kill (dropping al-Shaheed's bodyguard off the bridge). In fact, this method is quite viable, if Mike has specializations in pistols, stealth, martial arts, and toughness. Make use of tranquilizer darts, stealth with nonlethal takedowns, unarmed attacks, and nonlethal gadgets like shock traps and flashbangs, and Mike can potentially get through the whole game with no kills. The game even keeps track of kills (with the "Orphans Created" stat) and non-lethal takedowns ("medical expenses"), rewarding the player with perks that boost the effectiveness of his stealth and other nonlethal skills.
* It's not ''exactly'' a PacifistRun, but ''{{Geneforge}} 4'' occasionally mentions that a "great Shaper" can get through the game without ever lifting a hand in defense. This variously means sneaking past baddies, [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath abusing the Leadership skill]], and luring enemies to weapon-toting allies.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Shoot Em Up ]]

* In ''Star Wars Trilogy Arcade'', during the sequence on Endor on the speederbikes, you gain bonus points (called Bloodless) for shooting down the enemy's speederbikes instead of the enemy themselves. But considering they're speeding pretty fast in a forest full of trees, it probably would have been less painful to have been instantly shot to death.
** The original ''Star Wars'' VectorGame gave a bonus if you 'used the force' and took no shots in the Death Star Trench except the single torpedo shot into the exhaust port, instead dodging the massive incoming fire.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'', by virtue of inheriting twenty years of evolution in the [[ShootEmUps shooter genre]], allows the player to complete the game without ever firing a single shot. Your reward is the rank of Dot Eater.
* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' offered an interesting variant since bosses are worth more "kills" if they are defeated fast, so players attempting this had to wait a while in those fights while dodging the attacks and (depending on the exact definition and route) protecting their teammates in those cases where they can actually get attacked by these bosses.
* ''VideoGame/{{R-Type}} Delta'' and ''Final'' both feature bosses which are automatically destroyed after a certain time; late in the game, bosses will instead kill you if the time limit expires, so the Pacifist Run is to destroy only these bosses. Can be made even harder if combined with a ''no-Force'' run, which severely decreases the defensive abilities of the player's ship.
** All ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' bosses -- including the final bosses -- self-destruct after a certain time, as well. [[AntiClimaxBoss Most of them don't fight back anyway]].
* As in other vertical shooters, this is a common type of run in the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' series despite the fact that the games actively punish trying to do this. Most {{Final Boss}}es and {{Bonus Boss}}es have their final spellcard become incredibly difficult if you take too long, but have long enough timers that the average player will never see this. And there'll generally be a few patterns that will just get worse with time, and the occasional wave of enemies that will exit through the bottom of the screen, where the player is, if not killed.
* ''GeometryWars: Retro Evolved'' has an [[BraggingRightsReward Achievement]] called ''Pacifist''. To get it, you must not fire for the first 60 seconds of the game. Since the [[{{Determinator}} fast, homing square enemies]] spawn before that, it's a NintendoHard one to get.
** The sequel has a separate game mode called Pacifism, where the objective is to avoid the said square enemies as long as possible. While you may not fire, going through a gate causes a shockwave that kills nearby enemies. In addition, the King mode has an achievement called Treaty and the Wave mode has an achievement called Surf.
* ''Afterburner Climax'' with only 1 kill, possibly avoidable? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqSP1Z-QXf8 Why not?]]
* ''VideoGame/NightStriker'' has a bonus called the Pacifist Bonus, where if you do not shoot at anything, you earn 2,000,000 points. This bonus stacks up per stage for six stages. (ST.1 - 2 mil, ST.2 - 4 mil, ST.3 - 6 mil, etc.) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5LdKuLE4hU An example of this in action can be seen here]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF9aeHBnPf4&feature=related Then there's a player]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRjQFuY8zTY&feature=related doing a complete pacifist only run.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{NARC}}'' allowed you to "bust" (handcuff) enemies instead of killing them. Doing so was worth MANY more points than killing them, making it easier to gain bonus lives (necessary!). Only about half of the enemies could be "busted" though.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Simulation Game ]]

* This is half of what it's like to try and be a benevolent god in ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite.'' The other half is being nice to your villagers.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Stealth Based Game ]]

* Aside from the bosses, it is possible to get through most ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' games without ever killing someone. (The first one is an exception -- you are forced to fight off a horde of guards at one point without access to nonlethal weaponry.) In the original, this just earned the player a suitably passive animal code name after the end credits. In the later games, you are given rewards for keeping enemy fatalities to a minimum.
** This became considerably easier with the Tranquilizer weapons in later games, resulting in an even more difficult variation -- No Tranquilizer Run.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'', since only two of the bosses are actually story-killed by you, no real difference is made whether you stamina-kill them or not (only that a stamina-kill doesn't show up on your score as a real kill). Interestingly, not-killing Fatman, one of the story-killed bosses, results in him passing out at the end of his dying speech instead of dying. When Ocelot remarks on Fatman's death later on, the line is the same, but the implication is that Ocelot killed him rather than you, which provides a neat clue as to Ocelot's [[DoubleAgent real alignment]].
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'', you can avoid killing the bosses. They have non-lethal hit bars, and you get a [[MercyRewarded special bonus]] for defeating a boss with non-lethal force, but if they were [[PlotlineDeath supposed to die]], they commit suicide in the following cutscene. However, there is one exception: [[spoiler: Even if you defeat The Boss nonlethally, the game still forces you to kill her.]]
*** In the case of the Cobra Unit, specifically, their "[[http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Microbombs microbomb]]" blows up, and they say their codename. In that order.
** ''Metal Gear Solid 4'' also allows you to take out all of the bosses using non-lethal means. Unlike the other games though, it actually affects the cutscene afterward. The difference is really subtle leading to many players thinking Kojima was lying when he said you could save them.
** Even ''[=MGS4=]'''s online mode gets in on this, giving players the "Pigeon" ranking if they have a suitable ratio of kills to knockouts.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' is the first game in the series to let you do a true no-kills run, not even story kills. [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Although you can (and once, you must) blow up as many Gekko and Dwarf Gekko as you like.]]
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' lets you do a pacifist run one step at a time. Each of its stages are mission-based, letting you do a perfect no-kills stealth run once you're properly prepared, even against a missile tank supported by thirty troops.
* In ''SplinterCell'', it is possible to complete the game with only one overt kill, which is a required mission objective. This is usually accomplished with liberal use of the "sticky camera" pseudoweapon to knock enemies out.
** Three mandatory assassination mission objectives aside, in ''Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory'' it is possible to complete the game without killing any enemies. Mission requirements aside (e.g. knocking out a guard so a helicopter will come) it is possible to complete the game without knocking out more than three enemies (Bathhouse boiler room), and perhaps fewer.
*** In fact, it is entirely possible to get all zeros at the final score which equals to zero kills/KOs through whole game. The bathouse boiler room is indeed tricky as there are at least 4 guards that need to be distracted with sticky cameras.
* Most missions in the various ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' games can be completed without killing anyone other than the mission's intended target(s). In ''Hitman 2'' and onward, doing so earns the player the rating "Silent Assassin" and usually comes with a reward of some sort.[[hottip:*:Which, ironically, always seem to be some sort of firearms.]]
** In the 4th game, ''Blood Money'', killing anyone other than the target(s) can make later missions more difficult as your notoriety will grow, especially if you leave witnesses and/or get caught on camera. However, you can obtain the surveillance tape if you get caught on camera before leaving the mission, and pay money to cover up the crime after the mission. Killing witnesses, however, can make things worse.
** Technically, a zero kill run of much of ''Blood Money'' is possible, owing to the fact that "[[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident accidents]]" are counted separately from outright kills and (unless you kill a VIP) have no impact on your rating (even if you [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential kill civilians]]).
** And then the entire thing gets turned on its head in the final mission.
* The ''{{Thief}}'' games, on higher difficulties, sometimes ''require'' you not to kill anyone in a mission. Ideally, you do so by just getting around without being noticed. If you must pop someone, though, you have a blackjack which can knock the unaware victim out in a single strike. You can play through the 1st game ''and'' 2nd game without knocking out anyone or anything, let alone killing them.
** Doesn't apply to the 2nd game, as [[spoiler:one of the objectives is to kidnap a person. The only way to do that is to knock him out. both games features Big bads in need of killing, though both times indirectly.]]
** The 3rd and final game can also be completed without a single kill or knockout, which includes plot-kills since the BigBad can't be killed anyway and isn't explicitly killed at the end either.
* ''{{Oddworld}}: Stranger's Wrath'', being a BountyHunter themed game, allows you to choose between killing an enemy, or simply stunning them long enough for you to trap then in your [[BagOfHolding bounty bag]]. Live enemies are worth more than dead enemies. Challenges could include bringing in all bounties alive, bringing in all outlaws alive, or bringing in all enemies in the game alive. Minor challenges could also include never attacking a non hostile NPC for Moolah, or neglecting to collect two optional Moolah rewards that require robbing innocents. [[spoiler:Due to a GenreShift late in the game, this becomes more difficult. You are required to kill several enemies (including the BigBad) during the final levels. In addition, the previously pacifistic Bounty Bag is replaced with a Bait Bag that is used to breed your living ammo. Guess what they eat?]]
* In ''{{Tenchu}}: The Shadow Assassin'' the player gets the highest rank S, Phantom, for finishing a level without killing ''and'' without being seen.
** And in ''Wrath of Heaven'' there is one level in which, at first, you can't kill any guard.
* Despite it being a game focused on assassination, this is possible in ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}''. While you don't have to kill your targets, they still need to be neutralized in some way. This usually involves putting them through a FateWorseThanDeath.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Survival Horror ]]

* The remake of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' for the GameCube has what is called "One Dangerous Zombie" mode, wherein a zombie completely strapped with explosives constantly follows you around through the game. Attack him even passively, and you get a game over. For the series proper, you obviously need to kill bosses in the main plotlines, but for standard {{Mook}}s and some of the minigames, you're free to try this challenge out.
** The bitch is that "One Dangerous Zombie" isn't a selectable mode; it's automatically foisted on you during a NewGamePlus whether you like it or not. The good news, as it were, is that said zombie disappears once you leave the mansion and go to the guardhouse.
* Players do this in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', but it's more a Minimal Kills run. While there are more enemies that can be circumvented than one might expect, there are still many, many enemies that ''must'' be killed to advance, starting with the first enemy in the game.
** Including two dif
** There's also the Mine Cart section: Every passenger, besides Leon, dies at the end and the "kills" are credited to the player.
* The various ''SilentHill'' games is slightly schizophrenic on whether or not killing the monsters is "bad." Some of the games give more stars/points the fewer monsters you kill and some give you the bad ending if you kill too many, and others require you to kill as many as you can to get the best ending/points. Given the MindScrew nature of the series perhaps it means the monsters represent something different to each character.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Third Person Shooter ]]

* ''SecondSight'' tracks your "morality" score for each level of the game, which starts at 100% and decreases with each enemy you kill. Players can avoid killing enemies by tranquilizing them, sneaking past, luring them into hazardous terrain features, allowing NPC allies to kill them, or tricking them into killing each other. It appears that only four enemies (not counting your involuntary initial manifestations of Psy-Attack, and improved telekinesis) actually have to be killed. [[spoiler:They're clones of the main character]]. Oddly, even without killing anyone else the big bad will still call you out for all the bodies you stepped over to reach him. The game also keeps track of how many km of "muddy feet" you walked per level i.e.: how far you walked with your shoes covered in blood from enemies you killed.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'', it is ''impossible'' to go through the game without killing civilians. The closest the player can get to a [[SelfImposedChallenge self-imposed pacifist challenge]] is to try to keep their civilian kill count as low as possible (difficult, since you can kill them by running into them). There is an achievement for eating only 10 or fewer civilians.
* In ''VideoGame/ReservoirDogs'' there's a choice to go either "Psycho" or "Professional", the latter being if you concentrate on using hostages over shooting people. The issue is that hostages lose HP over time.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Turn Based Strategy ]]

* ''FireEmblem'' doesn't normally lend itself to Pacifist Runs, since you need kills to level up. However, ''Thracia 776'' allows you to non-lethally KO enemies and capture them - in fact, you can steal their equipment and use it for yourself when you do! The only limitation is that, in order to capture a foe, the enemy's Build stat must be lower than that of the unit doing the capturing (Then again, Fin, who has ''20'' Build, is available from the start of the game), and when you use the capture command, the capturing unit will have his stats reduced for the turn.
* In ''JaggedAlliance 2'' you can finish the game without killing anyone except the queen and without liberating any towns just by cutting across country to the capital, sneaking past the soldiers there, and killing the queen before any of her guards arrive.
* ''GalacticCivilizations'': you don't get an achievement for it, but you can win by forming Alliances with all the other races, forming an Alliance with one race and having ''them'' crush your enemies, or by using heavily upgraded influence starbases to either culture-hug enemy worlds into defecting to your side, or to mark most of the map as your territory (which brings with it the incidental bonus that you can ram through any result you want at the United Planets and nobody will have the voting power to stop you).

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Wide Open Sandbox ]]

* You can go through ''TrueCrimeStreetsOfLA'' and ''TrueCrimeNewYorkCity'' without killing a single enemy, either by limiting yourself to non-lethal weapons or using precision aim to go for [[KneeCapping kneeshots]].
* ''RedDeadRedemption''. You ''can'' minimize all killing in the game with your trusty lasso - aside from times you ''must'' kill, such as the gatling gun missions - but it's NintendoHard to do the ''entire'' game that way.
* It's possible to play through all the ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' games without killing anyone ''directly'', or without killing anyone at all (provided you don't do the plots). The goal is to keep your combat rank at "Harmless", which means you have zero kills. If you kill any enemy, the rank goes up and takes several real-time hours to go back down.
* Slightly odd tabletop example: In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'''s fourth edition, player characters who reduce an {{NPC}} enemy to zero or less hit points always have the option to decide then and there to only knock that enemy out instead of killing them. Stop to think about that for a moment: with this rule in force, any given scenario played through could fairly trivially ''become'' a PacifistRun, the possibility is just something that doesn't seem to as much as occur to most players.
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