mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Strategic Reasoning with Language Models

arXiv 2305.19165 ↗First posted 30 May 2023cs.AI cs.CL cs.GTcited by 64

On the map: LLM reasoning → Reasoning for agents, planning and code

Abstract (arXiv)

Strategic reasoning enables agents to cooperate, communicate, and compete with other agents in diverse situations. Existing approaches to solving strategic games rely on extensive training, yielding strategies that do not generalize to new scenarios or games without retraining. Large Language Models (LLMs), with their ability to comprehend and generate complex, context-rich language, could prove powerful as tools for strategic gameplay. This paper introduces an approach that uses pretrained LLMs with few-shot chain-of-thought examples to enable strategic reasoning for AI agents. Our approach uses systematically generated demonstrations of reasoning about states, values, and beliefs to prompt the model. Using extensive variations of simple matrix games, we show that strategies that are derived based on systematically generated prompts generalize almost perfectly to new game structures, alternate objectives, and hidden information. Additionally, we demonstrate our approach can lead to human-like negotiation strategies in realistic scenarios without any extra training or fine-tuning. Our results highlight the ability of LLMs, guided by systematic reasoning demonstrations, to adapt and excel in diverse strategic scenarios.

Key facts. Cited by 64 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Reasoning for agents, planning and code, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 27 of its 51 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 30 May 2023.

Builds on

27 of 51 references.

Closest ancestors · 1

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2022PlanBench: An Extensible Benchmark for Evaluating Large Language Models on Planning and Reasoning about Change21 Jun

Other references · 26

  1. 2022Training language models to follow instructions with human feedbackcited by 15,971
  2. 2022Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 12,459
  3. 2021Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Codecited by 8,320
  4. 2022PaLM: Scaling Language Modeling with Pathwayscited by 5,326
  5. 2022Large Language Models are Zero-Shot Reasonerscited by 4,374
  6. 2023Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Toolscited by 4,182
  7. 2020Learning to summarize from human feedbackcited by 2,588
  8. 2022Challenging BIG-Bench Tasks and Whether Chain-of-Thought Can Solve Themcited by 1,807
  9. 2021WebGPT: Browser-assisted question-answering with human feedbackcited by 1,745
  10. 2020ColBERT: Efficient and Effective Passage Search via Contextualized Late Interaction over BERTcited by 1,178
  11. 2019Dota 2 with Large Scale Deep Reinforcement Learningcited by 1,103
  12. 2022STaR: Bootstrapping Reasoning With Reasoningcited by 940
14 more
  1. 2021Show Your Work: Scratchpads for Intermediate Computation with Language Modelscited by 886
  2. 2022Using Large Language Models to Simulate Multiple Humans and Replicate Human Subject Studiescited by 515
  3. 2021ColBERTv2: Effective and Efficient Retrieval via Lightweight Late Interactioncited by 476
  4. 2023Reward Design with Language Modelscited by 261
  5. 2017DeepStack: Expert-Level Artificial Intelligence in No-Limit Pokercited by 233
  6. 2022Neural Theory-of-Mind? On the Limits of Social Intelligence in Large LMscited by 220
  7. 2017Deal or No Deal? End-to-End Learning for Negotiation Dialoguescited by 209
  8. 2019The Hanabi Challenge: A New Frontier for AI Researchcited by 197
  9. 2022Synchromesh: Reliable code generation from pre-trained language modelscited by 156
  10. 2022Language Model Cascadescited by 107
  11. 2017Building machines that adapt and compute like brainscited by 99
  12. 2019Better Rewards Yield Better Summaries: Learning to Summarise Without Referencescited by 77
  13. 2019No Press Diplomacy: Modeling Multi-Agent Gameplaycited by 38
  14. 2021No-Press Diplomacy from Scratchcited by 31

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Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2023: 6; 2024: 21; 2025: 25; 2026: 12.

64 papers.

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  1. 2024Scaling Synthetic Data Creation with 1,000,000,000 Personascited by 417
  2. 2025Cognitive Behaviors that Enable Self-Improving Reasoners, or, Four Habits of Highly Effective STaRscited by 377
  3. 2024Quiet-STaR: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Think Before Speakingcited by 301
  4. 2023Language Agents with Reinforcement Learning for Strategic Play in the Werewolf Gamecited by 152
  5. 2024Stream of Search (SoS): Learning to Search in Languagecited by 145
  6. 2025Advances and Challenges in Foundation Agents: From Brain-Inspired Intelligence to Evolutionary, Collaborative, and Safe Systemscited by 126
  7. 2025Towards System 2 Reasoning in LLMs: Learning How to Think With Meta Chain-of-Thoughtcited by 109
  8. 2024STaR-GATE: Teaching Language Models to Ask Clarifying Questionscited by 104
  9. 2024LLM as a Mastermind: A Survey of Strategic Reasoning with Large Language Modelscited by 99
  10. 2023Cooperation, Competition, and Maliciousness: LLM-Stakeholders Interactive Negotiationcited by 96
  11. 2024GameBench: Evaluating Strategic Reasoning Abilities of LLM Agentscited by 95
  12. 2024Open-Endedness is Essential for Artificial Superhuman Intelligencecited by 80
38 more
  1. 2025Are Reasoning Models More Prone to Hallucination?cited by 64
  2. 2023Rehearsal: Simulating Conflict to Teach Conflict Resolutioncited by 55
  3. 2023Welfare Diplomacy: Benchmarking Language Model Cooperationcited by 45
  4. 2024Moral Alignment for LLM Agentscited by 39
  5. 2025Bayesian Teaching Enables Probabilistic Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 37
  6. 2024Cultural Evolution of Cooperation among LLM Agentscited by 32
  7. 2025Topology of Reasoning: Understanding Large Reasoning Models through Reasoning Graph Propertiescited by 29
  8. 2024Steering Language Models with Game-Theoretic Solverscited by 28
  9. 2024TMGBench: A Systematic Game Benchmark for Evaluating Strategic Reasoning Abilities of LLMscited by 24
  10. 2024A Survey on Large Language Model-Based Social Agents in Game-Theoretic Scenarioscited by 23
  11. 2025DSGBench: A Diverse Strategic Game Benchmark for Evaluating LLM-based Agents in Complex Decision-Making Environmentscited by 23
  12. 2024STRIDE: A Tool-Assisted LLM Agent Framework for Strategic and Interactive Decision-Makingcited by 22
  13. 2024K-Level Reasoning: Establishing Higher Order Beliefs in Large Language Models for Strategic Reasoningcited by 21
  14. 2024Simulating Human Strategic Behavior: Comparing Single and Multi-agent LLMscited by 21
  15. 2025BoxingGym: Benchmarking Progress in Automated Experimental Design and Model Discoverycited by 18
  16. 2025Game Theory Meets Large Language Models: A Systematic Survey with Taxonomy and New Frontierscited by 16
  17. 2024Efficacy of Language Model Self-Play in Non-Zero-Sum Gamescited by 15
  18. 2025Learning Strategic Language Agents in the Werewolf Game with Iterative Latent Space Policy Optimizationcited by 15
  19. 2025When Ethics and Payoffs Diverge: LLM Agents in Morally Charged Social Dilemmascited by 15
  20. 2024ArgMed-Agents: Explainable Clinical Decision Reasoning with LLM Disscusion via Argumentation Schemescited by 13
  21. 2025LLM-Based Social Simulations Require a Boundarycited by 12
  22. 2024Measuring Free-Form Decision-Making Inconsistency of Language Models in Military Crisis Simulationscited by 11
  23. 2025Zero-Shot Verification-guided Chain of Thoughtscited by 10
  24. 2023Social Contract AI: Aligning AI Assistants with Implicit Group Normscited by 9
  25. 2024Codenames as a Benchmark for Large Language Modelscited by 8
  26. 2025EPO: Explicit Policy Optimization for Strategic Reasoning in LLMs via Reinforcement Learningcited by 8
  27. 2025Reputation as a Solution to Cooperation Collapse in LLM-based MASscited by 8
  28. 2026Evaluating Collective Behaviour of Hundreds of LLM Agentscited by 8
  29. 2023Hybrid Approaches for Moral Value Alignment in AI Agents: a Manifestocited by 7
  30. 2024Enhancing Language Model Rationality with Bi-Directional Deliberation Reasoningcited by 5
  31. 2025Aligning Large Language Model Agents with Rational and Moral Preferences: A Supervised Fine-Tuning Approachcited by 5
  32. 2025The Price of Thought: A Multilingual Analysis of Reasoning, Performance, and Cost of Negotiation in Large Language Modelscited by 5
  33. 2025Evaluating LLMs in Open-Source Gamescited by 5
  34. 2025Are Language Models Efficient Reasoners? A Perspective from Logic Programmingcited by 4
  35. 2025Dynamic Coalition Structure Detection in Natural Language-based Interactionscited by 3
  36. 2025Society of Mind Meets Real-Time Strategy: A Hierarchical Multi-Agent Framework for Strategic Reasoningcited by 3
  37. 2025ChessArena: A Chess Testbed for Evaluating Strategic Reasoning Capabilities of Large Language Modelscited by 3
  38. 2026Cattle Trade: A Multi-Agent Benchmark for LLM Bluffing, Bidding, and Bargainingcited by 3

50 most cited of 64 All 64 (JSON)

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  1. 2026Beyond Scaling: Assessing Strategic Reasoning and Rapid Decision-Making Capability of LLMs in Zero-sum Environments
  2. 2025Grounding Natural Language for Multi-agent Decision-Making with Multi-agentic LLMs
  3. 2025Game Reasoning Arena: A Framework and Benchmark for Assessing Reasoning Capabilities of Large Language Models via Game Play
  4. 2026Foresight Optimization for Strategic Reasoning in Large Language Models
  5. 2026GameTalk: Training LLMs for Strategic Conversation
  6. 2025The Fragility of Strategic Thinking in Large Language Models
  7. 2026Choosing LLMs for Strategic Agent Interactions
  8. 2025Tracing LLM Reasoning Processes with Strategic Games: A Framework for Planning, Revision, and Resource-Constrained Decision Making