Game theory books
Game theory books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Thinking Strategically
Barry J. NalebuffA non-technical introduction that applies core ideas such as dominance, commitment and credibility to everyday and business situations.
The Strategy of Conflict
Thomas C. SchellingExamines bargaining, deterrence, commitment and focal points, and shaped how strategic thinking was applied to international relations.
The Evolution of Cooperation
Robert M. AxelrodReports computer tournaments of iterated Prisoner's Dilemma strategies and argues that cooperation can emerge among self-interested players, with tit for tat as a well-known example.
Prisoner's Dilemma
William PoundstoneA popular history of game theory's Cold War origins and the Prisoner's Dilemma, useful as an accessible overview of the field's development.
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior
Oskar MorgensternThe foundational text that formalized games, expected utility and the minimax theorem for zero-sum games, and set up the field's mathematical framework.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More game theory books
- An Introduction to Game Theory
An Introduction to Game TheoryMartin J. Osborne - Games and DecisionsGames and DecisionsHarvard University. Luce R. Duncan & Howard Raiffa
- The Art of Strategy
The Art of StrategyBarry J. Nalebuff - Evolution and the Theory of Games
Evolution and the Theory of GamesJohn Maynard Smith - Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays
Winning Ways for Your Mathematical PlaysRichard K. Guy - Theory of games and economic behavior
Theory of games and economic behaviorJohn von Neumann1944 - Modern Poker Theory
Modern Poker TheoryMichael Acevedo2019 - Game theory
Game theoryGuillermo Owen1968 - Games for business and economics
Games for business and economicsRoy Gardner1995 - The Grasshopper
The GrasshopperBernard Suits1978 - Serious games
Serious gamesClark C. Abt1970 - What computers can't do
What computers can't doHubert L. Dreyfus1972