# TorchCraft: a Library for Machine Learning Research on Real-Time Strategy Games

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.00625 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.00625/

## Key facts

- Cited by 12 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 Nov 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 12 of 12)

- [SMACv2: An Improved Benchmark for Cooperative Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.07489/) (2022)
- [A Survey of Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning with Communication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.08975/) (2022)
- [Learning a Prior over Intent via Meta-Inverse Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.12573/) (2018)
- [Core Challenges in Embodied Vision-Language Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.13948/) (2021)
- [Learning to Generalize with Object-centric Agents in the Open World Survival Game Crafter](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.03374/) (2022)
- [ING-VP: MLLMs cannot Play Easy Vision-based Games Yet](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.06555/) (2024)
- [HLSMAC: A New StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge for High-Level Strategic Decision-Making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.12927/) (2025)
- [Rethinking of AlphaStar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.03452/) (2021)
- [AMaze: An intuitive benchmark generator for fast prototyping of generalizable agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.13072/) (2024)
- [Simultaneous Navigation and Construction Benchmarking Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.16732/) (2021)
- [Truthful Self-Play](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.03007/) (2021)
- [Core Challenges in Embodied Vision-Language Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.02738/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present TorchCraft, a library that enables deep learning research on Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games such as StarCraft: Brood War, by making it easier to control these games from a machine learning framework, here Torch. This white paper argues for using RTS games as a benchmark for AI research, and describes the design and components of TorchCraft.