mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Training Agents Inside of Scalable World Models

arXiv 2509.24527 ↗First posted 29 Sep 2025cs.AI cs.LG cs.ROcited by 122

On the map: World models → Latent dynamics models and model-based RL

Abstract (arXiv)

World models learn general knowledge from videos and simulate experience for training behaviors in imagination, offering a path towards intelligent agents. However, previous world models have been unable to accurately predict object interactions in complex environments. We introduce Dreamer 4, a scalable agent that learns to solve control tasks by reinforcement learning inside of a fast and accurate world model. In the complex video game Minecraft, the world model accurately predicts object interactions and game mechanics, outperforming previous world models by a large margin. The world model achieves real-time interactive inference on a single GPU through a shortcut forcing objective and an efficient transformer architecture. Moreover, the world model learns general action conditioning from only a small amount of data, allowing it to extract the majority of its knowledge from diverse unlabeled videos. We propose the challenge of obtaining diamonds in Minecraft from only offline data, aligning with practical applications such as robotics where learning from environment interaction can be unsafe and slow. This task requires choosing sequences of over 20,000 mouse and keyboard actions from raw pixels. By learning behaviors in imagination, Dreamer 4 is the first agent to obtain diamonds in Minecraft purely from offline data, without environment interaction. Our work provides a scalable recipe for imagination training, marking a step towards intelligent agents.

Key facts. Cited by 122 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Latent dynamics models and model-based RL, one of 11 directions in World models. Builds on 69 of its 82 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 29 Sep 2025.

Builds on

69 of 82 references.

Closest ancestors · 9

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2024Diffusion for World Modeling: Visual Details Matter in Atari20 May
  2. 2023TD-MPC2: Scalable, Robust World Models for Continuous Control25 Oct
  3. 2023STORM: Efficient Stochastic Transformer based World Models for Reinforcement Learning14 Oct
  4. 2023Transformer-based World Models Are Happy With 100k Interactions13 Mar
  5. 2022Transformers are Sample-Efficient World Models1 Sep
  6. 2022DayDreamer: World Models for Physical Robot Learning28 Jun
  7. 2020Mastering Atari with Discrete World Models5 Oct
  8. 2019Dream to Control: Learning Behaviors by Latent Imagination3 Dec
  9. 2018World Models27 Mar

Other references · 60

  1. 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 59,932
  2. 2020Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Modelscited by 20,851
  3. 2018The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Deep Features as a Perceptual Metriccited by 11,029
  4. 2021Masked Autoencoders Are Scalable Vision Learnerscited by 7,339
  5. 2015Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamicscited by 7,005
  6. 2022Scalable Diffusion Models with Transformerscited by 5,931
  7. 2022Flow Matching for Generative Modelingcited by 5,426
  8. 2021RoFormer: Enhanced Transformer with Rotary Position Embeddingcited by 4,581
  9. 2024Scaling Rectified Flow Transformers for High-Resolution Image Synthesiscited by 4,094
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  11. 2024OpenVLA: An Open-Source Vision-Language-Action Modelcited by 2,777
  12. 2024Gemma 2: Improving Open Language Models at a Practical Sizecited by 1,928
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  1. 2023Consistency Modelscited by 1,778
  2. 2020GLU Variants Improve Transformercited by 1,724
  3. 2025Gemma 3 Technical Reportcited by 1,686
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  5. 2019Root Mean Square Layer Normalizationcited by 1,425
  6. 2019Mastering Atari, Go, Chess and Shogi by Planning with a Learned Modelcited by 1,327
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  14. 2024Diffusion Forcing: Next-token Prediction Meets Full-Sequence Diffusioncited by 634
  15. 2023GAIA-1: A Generative World Model for Autonomous Drivingcited by 618
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  22. 2022Video PreTraining (VPT): Learning to Act by Watching Unlabeled Online Videoscited by 338
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  28. 2025GAIA-2: A Controllable Multi-View Generative World Model for Autonomous Drivingcited by 178
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  31. 2025VSA: Faster Video Diffusion with Trainable Sparse Attentioncited by 100
  32. 2023STEVE-1: A Generative Model for Text-to-Behavior in Minecraftcited by 95
  33. 2025Masked Autoencoders Are Effective Tokenizers for Diffusion Modelscited by 93
  34. 2025MineWorld: a Real-Time and Open-Source Interactive World Model on Minecraftcited by 93
  35. 2023VideoLCM: Video Latent Consistency Modelcited by 90
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50 most cited of 60 All 60 (JSON)

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 16; 2026: 106.

122 papers.

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  1. 2026World Action Models are Zero-shot Policiescited by 411
  2. 2026LeWorldModel: Stable End-to-End Joint-Embedding Predictive Architecture from Pixelscited by 237
  3. 2025Ctrl-World: A Controllable Generative World Model for Robot Manipulationcited by 149
  4. 2026DreamDojo: A Generalist Robot World Model from Large-Scale Human Videoscited by 117
  5. 2026Matrix-Game 3.0: Real-Time and Streaming Interactive World Model with Long-Horizon Memorycited by 86
  6. 2026PointWorld: Scaling 3D World Models for In-The-Wild Robotic Manipulationcited by 74
  7. 2025Evaluating Gemini Robotics Policies in a Veo World Simulatorcited by 50
  8. 2026World Action Models: The Next Frontier in Embodied AIcited by 46
  9. 2025From Word to World: Can Large Language Models be Implicit Text-based World Models?cited by 40
  10. 2026RISE: Self-Improving Robot Policy with Compositional World Modelcited by 39
  11. 2026Solaris: Building a Multiplayer Video World Model in Minecraftcited by 38
  12. 2026Beyond Language Modeling: An Exploration of Multimodal Pretrainingcited by 32
38 more
  1. 2026Interactive World Simulator for Robot Policy Training and Evaluationcited by 27
  2. 2025World Models for Learning Dexterous Hand-Object Interactions from Human Videoscited by 26
  3. 2026NitroGen: An Open Foundation Model for Generalist Gaming Agentscited by 22
  4. 2026Qwen-AgentWorld: Language World Models for General Agentscited by 22
  5. 2026MobileDreamer: Generative Sketch World Model for GUI Agentcited by 21
  6. 2026EgoWAM: World Action Models Beyond Pixels with In-the-Wild Egocentric Human Datacited by 17
  7. 2026Mask World Model: Predicting What Matters for Robust Robot Policy Learningcited by 15
  8. 2026Flow Policy Gradients for Robot Controlcited by 14
  9. 2026World Action Verifier: Self-Improving World Models via Forward-Inverse Asymmetrycited by 13
  10. 2026stable-worldmodel: A Platform for Reproducible World Modeling Research and Evaluationcited by 13
  11. 2026Robotic Video World Models: A Survey of Applications, Research Challenges, Future Directionscited by 12
  12. 2026MultiGen: Level-Design for Editable Multiplayer Worlds in Diffusion Game Enginescited by 12
  13. 2026VideoWorld 2: Learning Transferable Knowledge from Real-world Videoscited by 11
  14. 2026Beyond Pixel Histories: World Models with Persistent 3D Statecited by 11
  15. 2026Scaling Behavior Cloning Improves Causal Reasoning: An Open Model for Real-Time Video Game Playingcited by 10
  16. 2026World Action Models: A Surveycited by 10
  17. 2026ACWM-Phys: Investigating Generalized Physical Interaction in Action-Conditioned Video World Modelscited by 9
  18. 2026Dream-RSI: Recursive Self-Improvement through Evolving Worldscited by 9
  19. 2026What Makes Video World Model Latents Action-Relevant: Prediction over Reconstructioncited by 8
  20. 2025WorldPack: Dynamic Frame Compression for Long-context Video World Modelingcited by 7
  21. 2026Revisiting Diffusion Model Predictions Through Dimensionalitycited by 7
  22. 2026Hallucination in World Models is Predictable and Preventablecited by 7
  23. 2025Graph-Based Exploration for ARC-AGI-3 Interactive Reasoning Taskscited by 6
  24. 2026A Mechanistic View on Video Generation as World Models: State and Dynamicscited by 6
  25. 2026H-WM: Robotic Task and Motion Planning Guided by Hierarchical World Modelcited by 6
  26. 2026AI Must Embrace Specialization via Superhuman Adaptable Intelligencecited by 6
  27. 2026One Token Per Frame: Reconsidering Visual Bandwidth in World Models for VLA Policycited by 6
  28. 2026Towards Interactive Video World Modeling: Frontiers, Challenges, Benchmarks, and Future Trendscited by 6
  29. 2025SynthTools: A Framework for Scaling Synthetic Tools for Agent Developmentcited by 5
  30. 2026Video Generation Models as World Models: Efficient Paradigms, Architectures and Algorithmscited by 5
  31. 2026Marionette: Predicting World States, Rendering Geometry, Painting Appearancecited by 5
  32. 2025From monoliths to modules: Decomposing transducers for efficient world modellingcited by 4
  33. 2026VAG: Dual-Stream Video-Action Generation for Embodied Data Synthesiscited by 4
  34. 2026Imperfect World Models are Exploitablecited by 4
  35. 2026Nano World Models: A Minimalist Implementation of Future Video Predictioncited by 4
  36. 2026MAD: Mapping-Aware World Models for Agile Quadrotor Flightcited by 4
  37. 2026Qantara: Bridge-Flow Training for Multi-Paradigm JEPA Controlcited by 4
  38. 2026RynnWorld-4D: 4D Embodied World Models for Robotic Manipulationcited by 4

50 most cited of 122 All 122 (JSON)

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2022MineDojo: Building Open-Ended Embodied Agents with Internet-Scale Knowledge
  2. 2023Mastering Diverse Domains through World Models
  3. 2023Do Embodied Agents Dream of Pixelated Sheep: Embodied Decision Making using Language Guided World Modelling
  4. 2025OpenHA: A Series of Open-Source Hierarchical Agentic Models in Minecraft
  5. 2025Optimus-2: Multimodal Minecraft Agent with Goal-Observation-Action Conditioned Policy
  6. 2024TeamCraft: A Benchmark for Multi-Modal Multi-Agent Systems in Minecraft
  7. 2025Game-TARS: Pretrained Foundation Models for Scalable Generalist Multimodal Game Agents
  8. 2024ADAM: An Embodied Causal Agent in Open-World Environments