# Neuroevolution Arena: Nested Ecological Evaluation of Update-and-Inheritance Regimes across Neural Architectures

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.10323 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.10323/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 15 of its 29 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Aug 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [DARTS: Differentiable Architecture Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.09055/) (2018)
- [Do ImageNet Classifiers Generalize to ImageNet?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.10811/) (2019)
- [Neural Architecture Search with Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.01578/) (2016)
- [Regularized Evolution for Image Classifier Architecture Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.01548/) (2018)
- [Evolution Strategies as a Scalable Alternative to Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.03864/) (2017)
- [Fine-Tuning Pretrained Language Models: Weight Initializations, Data Orders, and Early Stopping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.06305/) (2020)
- [Paired Open-Ended Trailblazer (POET): Endlessly Generating Increasingly Complex and Diverse Learning Environments and Their Solutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.01753/) (2019)
- [Deep Neuroevolution: Genetic Algorithms Are a Competitive Alternative for Training Deep Neural Networks for Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.06567/) (2017)
- [Weight Agnostic Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.04358/) (2019)
- [Lenia - Biology of Artificial Life](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.05433/) (2018)
- [Growing 3D Artefacts and Functional Machines with Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.08737/) (2021)
- [An Overview of Open-Ended Evolution: Editorial Introduction to the Open-Ended Evolution II Special Issue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.04430/) (2019)
- [Biomaker CA: a Biome Maker project using Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.09320/) (2023)
- [Growing Steerable Neural Cellular Automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.10197/) (2023)
- [Flow-Lenia: Emergent evolutionary dynamics in mass conservative continuous cellular automata](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.08569/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Competitive artificial-life systems can rank trained controllers differently under training and ecological evaluation. We present Neuroevolution Arena, a GPU-accelerated spatial ecology of independently parameterized neural-network cells, and an audit-tracked nested evaluation protocol. Three implementation-specific update-and-inheritance regimes (EvoEvo, EvoRL, and RLRL) are crossed with two neural architectures for 50,000 generations in three independent training runs per condition. One saved elite-controller artifact from each of the 18 runs enters an aligned-run frozen-evaluation design comprising 198 computational jobs. Pairwise effects average three seed-defined ecological contexts (two cooperation-permitting and one attack-permitting) within each aligned training-run block; the independent level remains n = 3 runs per condition. RL-enabled regimes attain higher recorded training fitness than EvoEvo, whereas pairwise outcomes show architecture-conditioned majority patterns and substantial artifact dependence. Six-way winners vary across artifacts and contexts, and the prespecified survival endpoint has a complete floor. We contribute a nested protocol that separates training-run artifacts from evaluation contexts and exposes, rather than conceals, their different sources of variation.