Second Edition · Springer Nature · 2025
The comprehensive textbook on the application and use of artificial intelligence in, and for, games — now fully updated for the era of deep learning, reinforcement learning, and generative AI.
No SpringerLink access at your institution? A PDF version is available — but please try the links above first.
“The methods and technology we build through and for video games today will likely run the world of tomorrow.”
Artificial Intelligence and Games · Chapter 1
Praise for the book
What experts are saying
“Games and virtual environments are important testbeds for artificial intelligence, and the authors are leading experts in applying AI to games.”
“The original edition has been a vital reference for game developers. I’m glad to say that the new edition is still the indispensable overview of the field. And now it is up to date with the latest developments! If you make games, you need this book.”
“This book is a treasure trove of past achievements in game AI, and contains clues for future game AI development.”
“This book is an essential resource for anyone looking to expand their understanding of AI and its use in games. This revised edition refreshes and expands on the original and adds a much needed section on AI ethics. Highly recommended.”
About the second edition
Seven years of progress, one updated overview
Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence and Games book (2nd edition), published with Springer Nature in 2025. The book aims to be the first comprehensive textbook on the application and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in, and for, games. Our hope is that the book will be used by educators and students of graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on game AI, as well as game AI practitioners at large.
This second edition of the 2018 textbook captures significant developments in AI and games over the past 7 years, incorporating advancements in computer vision, reinforcement learning, deep learning, and the emergence of transformer-based large language models and generative AI. The book has been reorganized to provide an updated overview of AI in games, with separate sections dedicated to AI’s core uses in playing and generating games, and modeling their players, along with a new chapter on ethical considerations.
The text is complemented by this website featuring exercises, lecture slides, and additional educational materials suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses.
Get the book
Available now in digital and print
Springer
Buy the second edition directly from Springer in digital or printed form.
Go to SpringerLinkIf your institution does not have SpringerLink access, a PDF version is available — but please try the links above first.
Summer school
AI and Games Summer School Series
We have run the annual International Summer School on AI and Games, based on the content of the book, since 2018. The most recent edition of the school was held in Leiden in June, 2026.
First edition
Looking for the 2018 edition?
The book’s first edition remains available from Springer in digital and printed versions. Access the SpringerLink edition or buy the hardcopy. You can also buy it from Amazon, though buying directly from Springer may be cheaper.
Citing the book
BibTeX
@book{yannakakis2025artificial,
title={{Artificial Intelligence and Games}},
author={Georgios N. Yannakakis and Julian Togelius},
publisher={Springer Nature},
edition = {2},
note={\url{https://gameaibook.org}},
year={2025}
}
Which yields the following reference (e.g. in Chicago style):
Yannakakis, Georgios N., and Julian Togelius. Artificial Intelligence and Games. Springer, 2025.
“Good representations come with sufficient practical wisdom and empirical knowledge about the complexity and the qualitative features of the problem the AI is trying to solve.”
Artificial Intelligence and Games · Chapter 2