Recent Developments in Machine Learning Methods for Stochastic Control and Games
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Abstract (arXiv)
Stochastic optimal control and games have a wide range of applications, from finance and economics to social sciences, robotics, and energy management. Many real-world applications involve complex models that have driven the development of sophisticated numerical methods. Recently, computational methods based on machine learning have been developed for solving stochastic control problems and games. In this review, we focus on deep learning methods that have unlocked the possibility of solving such problems, even in high dimensions or when the structure is very complex, beyond what traditional numerical methods can achieve. We consider mostly the continuous time and continuous space setting. Many of the new approaches build on recent neural-network-based methods for solving high-dimensional partial differential equations or backward stochastic differential equations, or on model-free reinforcement learning for Markov decision processes that have led to breakthrough results. This paper provides an introduction to these methods and summarizes the state-of-the-art works at the crossroad of machine learning and stochastic control and games.
Key facts. Cited by 24 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 54 of its 312 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 17 Mar 2023.
Builds on
54 of 312 references.
References · 54
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- 2021Approximately Solving Mean Field Games via Entropy-Regularized Deep Reinforcement Learningcited by 73
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50 most cited of 54 All 54 (JSON)
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Citing papers per year: 2024: 5; 2025: 12; 2026: 7.
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- 2024Score-based Neural Ordinary Differential Equations for Computing Mean Field Control Problemscited by 7
- 2024Deep Backward and Galerkin Methods for the Finite State Master Equationcited by 6
- 2024An Overview on Machine Learning Methods for Partial Differential Equations: from Physics Informed Neural Networks to Deep Operator Learningcited by 6
- 2025Non-convergence to the optimal risk for Adam and stochastic gradient descent optimization in the training of deep neural networkscited by 6
- 2025One model to solve them all: 2BSDE families via neural operatorscited by 4
- 2024An Efficient On-Policy Deep Learning Framework for Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 3
- 2025Reconciling Discrete-Time Mixed Policies and Continuous-Time Relaxed Controls in Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Controlcited by 3
- 2025Neural Actor-Critic Methods for Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman PDEs: Asymptotic Analysis and Numerical Studiescited by 3
- 2025Solving Continuous Mean Field Games: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Non-Stationary Dynamicscited by 2
- 2026Deep Hilbert--Galerkin Methods for Infinite-Dimensional PDEs and Optimal Controlcited by 2
- 2025PADAM: Parallel averaged Adam reduces the error for stochastic optimization in scientific machine learningcited by 1
- 2025Finite-Agent Stochastic Differential Games on Large Graphs: II. Graph-Based Architecturescited by 1
12 more
- 2024Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysiscited by 0
- 2025Consensus Based Stochastic Controlcited by 0
- 2025An Optimization-Based Framework for Solving Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations: Convergence Analysis and Error Boundscited by 0
- 2025Mean-Field Generalisation Bounds for Learning Controls in Stochastic Environmentscited by 0
- 2025Error analysis for the deep Kolmogorov methodcited by 0
- 2025DeepPAAC: A New Deep Galerkin Method for Principal-Agent Problemscited by 0
- 2026Recurrent Structural Policy Gradient for Partially Observable Mean Field Gamescited by 0
- 2026Dual Approaches to Stochastic Control via SPDEs and the Pathwise Hopf Formulacited by 0
- 2026Robust Q-learning for mean-field control under Wasserstein uncertainty in common noisecited by 0
- 2026Path Integral Value Matching for Linear Quadratic Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 0
- 2026Self-supervised In-context Operator Learning for Stochastic Mean-Field Controlcited by 0
- 2026Learning to Solve Stochastic Controls with Unknown Drifts and Running Rewards: Theory, Algorithms and Convergencecited by 0
- 2026Learning to Solve Stochastic Controls with Unknown Drifts and Running Rewards: Theory, Algorithms and Convergence14 Sep 2026
- 2026Self-supervised In-context Operator Learning for Stochastic Mean-Field Control18 Aug 2026
- 2026Path Integral Value Matching for Linear Quadratic Stochastic Optimal Control11 Aug 2026
- 2026Robust Q-learning for mean-field control under Wasserstein uncertainty in common noise18 Jun 2026
- 2026Dual Approaches to Stochastic Control via SPDEs and the Pathwise Hopf Formula9 Apr 2026
- 2026Deep Hilbert--Galerkin Methods for Infinite-Dimensional PDEs and Optimal Control19 Mar 2026
- 2026Recurrent Structural Policy Gradient for Partially Observable Mean Field Games23 Feb 2026
- 2025DeepPAAC: A New Deep Galerkin Method for Principal-Agent Problems6 Nov 2025
- 2025One model to solve them all: 2BSDE families via neural operators3 Nov 2025
- 2025Solving Continuous Mean Field Games: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Non-Stationary Dynamics25 Oct 2025
- 2025Finite-Agent Stochastic Differential Games on Large Graphs: II. Graph-Based Architectures15 Sep 2025
- 2025Error analysis for the deep Kolmogorov method23 Aug 2025
12 more
- 2025Mean-Field Generalisation Bounds for Learning Controls in Stochastic Environments21 Aug 2025
- 2025An Optimization-Based Framework for Solving Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations: Convergence Analysis and Error Bounds21 Jul 2025
- 2025Neural Actor-Critic Methods for Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman PDEs: Asymptotic Analysis and Numerical Studies8 Jul 2025
- 2025PADAM: Parallel averaged Adam reduces the error for stochastic optimization in scientific machine learning28 May 2025
- 2025Reconciling Discrete-Time Mixed Policies and Continuous-Time Relaxed Controls in Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Control30 Apr 2025
- 2025Non-convergence to the optimal risk for Adam and stochastic gradient descent optimization in the training of deep neural networks3 Mar 2025
- 2025Consensus Based Stochastic Control29 Jan 2025
- 2024An Efficient On-Policy Deep Learning Framework for Stochastic Optimal Control7 Oct 2024
- 2024Score-based Neural Ordinary Differential Equations for Computing Mean Field Control Problems24 Sep 2024
- 2024An Overview on Machine Learning Methods for Partial Differential Equations: from Physics Informed Neural Networks to Deep Operator Learning23 Aug 2024
- 2024Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysis5 Apr 2024
- 2024Deep Backward and Galerkin Methods for the Finite State Master Equation8 Mar 2024
- 2025Reconciling Discrete-Time Mixed Policies and Continuous-Time Relaxed Controls in Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Controlcited by 3
- 2025Neural Actor-Critic Methods for Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman PDEs: Asymptotic Analysis and Numerical Studiescited by 3
- 2025Solving Continuous Mean Field Games: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Non-Stationary Dynamicscited by 2
- 2026Deep Hilbert--Galerkin Methods for Infinite-Dimensional PDEs and Optimal Controlcited by 2
- 2024Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysiscited by 0
- 2025Consensus Based Stochastic Controlcited by 0
- 2025An Optimization-Based Framework for Solving Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations: Convergence Analysis and Error Boundscited by 0
- 2025DeepPAAC: A New Deep Galerkin Method for Principal-Agent Problemscited by 0
- 2026Recurrent Structural Policy Gradient for Partially Observable Mean Field Gamescited by 0
- 2026Dual Approaches to Stochastic Control via SPDEs and the Pathwise Hopf Formulacited by 0
- 2026Dual Approaches to Stochastic Control via SPDEs and the Pathwise Hopf Formula9 Apr 2026
- 2026Deep Hilbert--Galerkin Methods for Infinite-Dimensional PDEs and Optimal Control19 Mar 2026
- 2026Recurrent Structural Policy Gradient for Partially Observable Mean Field Games23 Feb 2026
- 2025DeepPAAC: A New Deep Galerkin Method for Principal-Agent Problems6 Nov 2025
- 2025Solving Continuous Mean Field Games: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Non-Stationary Dynamics25 Oct 2025
- 2025An Optimization-Based Framework for Solving Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations: Convergence Analysis and Error Bounds21 Jul 2025
- 2025Neural Actor-Critic Methods for Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman PDEs: Asymptotic Analysis and Numerical Studies8 Jul 2025
- 2025Reconciling Discrete-Time Mixed Policies and Continuous-Time Relaxed Controls in Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Control30 Apr 2025
- 2025Consensus Based Stochastic Control29 Jan 2025
- 2024Why does the two-timescale Q-learning converge to different mean field solutions? A unified convergence analysis5 Apr 2024
- 2024Score-based Neural Ordinary Differential Equations for Computing Mean Field Control Problemscited by 7
- 2024Deep Backward and Galerkin Methods for the Finite State Master Equationcited by 6
- 2024An Overview on Machine Learning Methods for Partial Differential Equations: from Physics Informed Neural Networks to Deep Operator Learningcited by 6
- 2025Non-convergence to the optimal risk for Adam and stochastic gradient descent optimization in the training of deep neural networkscited by 6
- 2025One model to solve them all: 2BSDE families via neural operatorscited by 4
- 2024An Efficient On-Policy Deep Learning Framework for Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 3
- 2025PADAM: Parallel averaged Adam reduces the error for stochastic optimization in scientific machine learningcited by 1
- 2025Finite-Agent Stochastic Differential Games on Large Graphs: II. Graph-Based Architecturescited by 1
- 2025Mean-Field Generalisation Bounds for Learning Controls in Stochastic Environmentscited by 0
- 2025Error analysis for the deep Kolmogorov methodcited by 0
- 2026Robust Q-learning for mean-field control under Wasserstein uncertainty in common noisecited by 0
- 2026Path Integral Value Matching for Linear Quadratic Stochastic Optimal Controlcited by 0
12 most cited of 14 All 14 (JSON)
- 2026Learning to Solve Stochastic Controls with Unknown Drifts and Running Rewards: Theory, Algorithms and Convergence14 Sep 2026
- 2026Self-supervised In-context Operator Learning for Stochastic Mean-Field Control18 Aug 2026
- 2026Path Integral Value Matching for Linear Quadratic Stochastic Optimal Control11 Aug 2026
- 2026Robust Q-learning for mean-field control under Wasserstein uncertainty in common noise18 Jun 2026
- 2025One model to solve them all: 2BSDE families via neural operators3 Nov 2025
- 2025Finite-Agent Stochastic Differential Games on Large Graphs: II. Graph-Based Architectures15 Sep 2025
- 2025Error analysis for the deep Kolmogorov method23 Aug 2025
- 2025Mean-Field Generalisation Bounds for Learning Controls in Stochastic Environments21 Aug 2025
- 2025PADAM: Parallel averaged Adam reduces the error for stochastic optimization in scientific machine learning28 May 2025
- 2025Non-convergence to the optimal risk for Adam and stochastic gradient descent optimization in the training of deep neural networks3 Mar 2025
- 2024An Efficient On-Policy Deep Learning Framework for Stochastic Optimal Control7 Oct 2024
- 2024Score-based Neural Ordinary Differential Equations for Computing Mean Field Control Problems24 Sep 2024
12 newest of 14 All 14 (JSON)