Resources

General texts & reference

Accessible overviews

• Avinash K. Dixit and Barry Nalebuff. The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business & Life. WW Norton & Company, 2008.
• Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff. Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life. WW Norton & Company, 1993.
• Rohit Prasad. Game Sutra – Rescuing Game Theory from the Game Theorists. The Sage Press, 2019.

Advanced texts

• H. Scott Bierman and Luis Fernandez. Game Theory with Economic Applications. Addison-Wesley, 1998.
• Drew Fudenberg and Jean Tirole. Game Theory. The MIT Press, 1991.
• Michael Maschler, Eilon Solan, and Shmuel Zamir. Game Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
• Roger B. Myerson. Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict. Harvard University Press, 1991.
• Martin J. Osborne and Ariel Rubinstein. A Course in Game Theory. The MIT press, 1994.
• Guillermo Owen. Game Theory. Academic Press, 1995.
• Joachim Rosenmuller. Game Theory: Stochastics, Information, Strategies and Cooperation. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.
• Eric van Damme. Stability and Perfection of Nash Equilibria. Springer-Verlag, 1987.

Handbooks & reference

• Edited by Robert Aumann and Sergiu Hart (Vol. 1-3) and Peyton Young and Shmuel Zamir (Vol. 4). Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications. Volumes 1–4. Elsevier, 1992, 1994, 2002, 2014.

Introductory texts

• Charalambos D. Aliprantis and Subir K. Chakrabarti. Games and Decision Making. Oxford University Press, 2000.
• Ken Binmore. Playing for Real: A Text on Game Theory. Oxford university press, 2007.
• Avinash Dixit and Susan Skeath. Games of Strategy. WW Norton & Company, 1999.
• Prajit K. Dutta. Strategies and Games Theory and Practice. The MIT Press, 1999.
• James W. Friedman. Game Theory with Applications to Economics. Oxford University Press, 1986.
• Robert Gibbons. Game Theory for Applied Economists. Princeton University Press, 1992.
• Herbert Gintis. Game Theory Evolving: A Problem-Centered Introduction to Modeling Strategic Interaction. Princeton University Press, 2000.
• Aviad Heifetz. Game Theory: Interactive Strategies in Economics and Management. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Kevin Leyton-Brown and Yoav Shoham. Essentials of Game Theory: A Concise Multidisciplinary Introduction. Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2008.
• Hervé Moulin. Game Theory for the Social Sciences. NYU press, 1986.
• Martin J. Osborne. An Introduction to Game Theory. Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Stephen Schecter and Herbert Gintis. Game Theory in Action: An Introduction to Classical and Evolutionary Models. Princeton University Press, 2016.
• Martin Shubik. Game Theory in the Social Sciences: Concepts and Solutions. The MIT Press, 1985.
• Steven Tadelis. Game Theory: An Introduction. Princeton University Press, 2013.
• Joel Watson. Strategy: An Introduction to Game Theory. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001.

Theory & methods

Computation & algorithms

• Sarit Kraus. Strategic Negotiation in Multiagent Environments. The MIT Press, 2001.
• Edited by Noam Nisan, Tim Roughgarden, Éva Tardos, and Vijay V. Vazirani. Algorithmic Game Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Cooperative games

• Hervé Moulin. Axioms of Cooperative Decision Making. Cambridge university press, 1991.
• Bezalel Peleg and Peter Sudhölter. Introduction to the Theory of Cooperative Games. Springer, 2004.
• Edited by Alvin E. Roth. The Shapley Value: Essays in Honor of Lloyd S. Shapley. Cambridge University Press, 1988.

Dynamic, repeated & stochastic games

• Robert J. Aumann, Michael B. Maschler, and Richard E. Stearns. Repeated Games with Incomplete Information. The MIT Press, 1995.
• Engelbert Dockner (Editor), Steffen Jorgensen, Ngo Van Long, and Gerhard Sorger. Differential Games in Economics and Management Science. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• George J. Mailath and Larry Samuelson. Repeated Games and Reputation: Long-Run Relationship. Oxford University Press, 2006.
• Jean-François Mertens, Sylvain Sorin, and Shmuel Zamir. Repeated Games. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
• Edited by Abraham Neyman and Sylvain Sorin. Stochastic Games and Applications. Springer Science & Business Media, 2003.
• Eilon Solan. A Course on Stochastic Game Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
• Sylvain Sorin. A First Course on Zero-Sum Repeated Games. Springer Science & Business Media, 2002.

Foundations & solution concepts

• Carlos Alós-Ferrer and Klaus Ritzberger. The Theory of Extensive Form Games. Springer Series in Game Theory, 2016.
• Ken Binmore. Essays on the Foundations of Game Theory. B. Blackwell, 1990.
• Melvin Dresher. The Mathematics of Games of Strategy: Theory and Applications. Dover Publications, 1981.
• John C. Harsanyi and Reinhard Selten. A General Theory of Equilibrium Selection in Games. The MIT Press, 1988.
• Andres Perea. Epistemic Game Theory – Reasoning and Choice. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Andres Perea. Rationality in Extensive Form Games (Theory and Decision Library, Series C, Game Theory, Mathematical Programming, and Operations Research, Vol. 29). Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.
• Klaus Ritzberger. Foundations of Non-Cooperative Game Theory. Oxford University Press, 2002.
• Thomas C. Schelling. The Strategy of Conflict. Harvard University Press, 1980.
• John Von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern. Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton University Press, 1944.

Learning & evolution

• Robert Axelrod. The Evolution of Cooperation. Basic Books, 1984.
• Immanuel M. Bomze and Benedikt M. Pötscher. Game Theoretical Foundations of Evolutionary Stability. Springer-Verlag, 1989.
• Mark Broom and Jan Rychtář. Game-Theoretical Models in Biology. CRC Press, 2013.
• Ross Cressman. Evolutionary Dynamics and Extensive Form Games. The MIT Press, 2003.
• Ross Cressman. The Stability Concept of Evolutionary Game Theory: A Dynamic Approach. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.
• Edited by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Hudson Kern Reeve. Game Theory and Animal Behavior. Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Daniel Friedman and Barry Sinervo. Evolutionary Games in Natural, Social, and Virtual Worlds. Oxford University Press, 2016.
• Drew Fudenberg and David K. Levine. The Theory of Learning in Games. The MIT Press, 1998.
• John Maynard Smith. Evolution and the Theory of Games. Cambridge University Press, 1982.
• Larry Samuelson. Evolutionary Games and Equilibrium Selection. The MIT Press, 1998.
• William H. Sandholm. Population Games and Evolutionary Dynamics. The MIT press, 2010.
• Fernando Vega-Redondo. Evolution, Games, and Economic Behaviour. Oxford University Press, 1996.
• Jörgen W. Weibull. Evolutionary Game Theory. The MIT Press, 1997.
• H. Peyton Young. Individual Strategy and Social Structure: An Evolutionary Theory of Institutions. Princeton University Press, 2001.

Networks

• Edited by Yann Bramoullé, Andrea Galeotti, and Brian W. Rogers. The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Networks. Oxford University Press, 2016.
• Sanjeev Goyal. Connections: An Introduction to the Economics of Networks. Princeton University Press, 2012.
• Matthew O. Jackson. Social and Economic Networks. Princeton University Press, 2008.
• Marco Slikker and Anne Van den Nouweland. Social and Economic Networks in Cooperative Game Theory (Theory and Decision Library. Series C, Game Theory, Mathematical Programming, and Operations). Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

Economics & market design

Auctions, matching & mechanism design

• Tilman Börgers. An Introduction to the Theory of Mechanism Design. Oxford University Press, 2015.
• Pierre-André Chiappori. Matching with Transfers: The Economics of Love and Marriage. Princeton University Press, 2017.
• Douglas Gale. Strategic Foundations of General Equilibrium: Dynamic Matching and Bargining Games. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
• Alfred Galichon. Optimal Transport Methods in Economics. Princeton University Press, 2016.
• Paul Klemperer. Auctions: Theory and Practice. Princeton University Press, 2004.
• Vijay Krishna. Auction Theory. Academic Press, 2009.
• Paul Robert Milgrom. Putting Auction Theory to Work. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
• Alvin E. Roth and Marilda Sotomayor. Two-sided Matching: A Study in Game-theoretic Modeling and Analysis. Econometric Society Monographs, 1990.
• Alvin E. Roth. Who Gets What —and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
• Rakesh V. Vohra. Mechanism Design: A Linear Programming Approach. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Bargaining & contracts

• Patrick Bolton and Mathias Dewatripont. Contract Theory. The MIT Press, 2005.
• Abhinay Muthoo. Bargaining Theory With Applications. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
• Martin J. Osborne and Ariel Rubinstein. Bargaining and Markets. Academic Press, 1990.
• Bernard Salanié. The Economics of Contracts: A Primer. The MIT Press, 2005.

Industrial organization & markets

• Luis C. Corchon. Theories of Imperfectly Competitive Markets. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.
• John Sutton. Technology and Market Structure Theory and History. The MIT Press, 1998.
• Xavier Vives. Oligopoly Pricing Old Ideas and New Tools. The MIT Press, 2001.

Information & incentives

• Edited by Peter Diamond and Michael Rothschild. Uncertainty in Economics: Readings and Exercises. Academic Press, 1989.
• Jack Hirshleifer and John G. Riley. The Analytics of Uncertainty and Information. Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Eric Rasmusen. Games and Information : An Introduction to Game Theory. Blackwell Publications, 2001.

Social choice & welfare

• Allan M. Feldman and Roberto Serrano. Welfare Economics and Social Choice Theory. Springer, 2006.
• Jerry S. Kelly. Social Choice Theory: An Introduction. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.
• Hervé Moulin. Fair Division and Collective Welfare. The MIT Press, 2003.

Applications

Business & management

• R.K. Amit. Game Theory and its Application in Operations Management. Springer, 2024.
• Edited by Kalyan Chatterjee and William F. Samuelson. Game Theory and Business Applications. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

Environment

• Edited by Carlo Carraro and Vito Fragnelli. Game Practice and the Environment. Edward Elgar, 2004.

Humanities & social sciences

• Ken Binmore. Game Theory and the Social Contract. The MIT Press, 1998.
• Steven J. Brams. Game Theory and the Humanities: Bridging Two Worlds. The MIT Press, 2011.
• Steven J. Brams. Theory of Moves. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
• Michael Suk-Young Chwe. Rational Ritual: Culture, Coordination, and Common Knowledge. Princeton University Press, 2001.
• Alexander Mehlmann, David Kramer (Translator). The Game’s Afoot! Game Theory in Myth and Paradox. American Mathematical Society, 2000.

Law

• Douglas G. Baird, Robert H. Gertner, and Randal C. Picker. Game Theory and the Law. Harvard University Press, 1998.

Politics & international relations

• Robert H. Bates, Avner Greif, Margaret Levi, and Jean-Laurent. Analytic Narratives. Princeton University Press, 1998.
• Robert D. Cooter. The Strategic Constitution. Princeton University Press, 2000.
• Edited by David A. Lake and Robert Powell. Strategic Choice and International Relations. Princeton University Press, 1999.
• Barry O’Neill. Honor, Symbols and War. University of Michigan Press, 1999.
• Robert Powell. In the Shadow of Power: States and Strategies in International Politics. Princeton University Press, 1999.
• Martin Shubik. A Game-Theoretic Approach to Political Economy. The MIT Press, 1987.

Sport

• Ignacio Palacios-Huerta. Beautiful Game Theory: How Soccer Can Help Economics. Princeton University Press, 2014.

Experiments & behavior

Experimental & behavioral studies

• Ken Binmore. Does Game Theory Work? The Bargaining Challenge. The MIT Press, 2007.
• Colin F. Camerer. Behavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interactions. Princeton University Press, 2003.
• Douglas D. Davis and Charles A. Holt. Experimental Economics. Princeton University Press, 1993.
• Edited by Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, Samuel Bowles, Colin Camerer, Ernst Fehr, and Herbert Gintis. Foundations of Human Sociality: Economic Experiments and Ethnographic Evidence from Fifteen Small-Scale Societies. Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Charles A. Holt. Markets, Games, & Strategic Behavior. Boston, MA: Pearson Addison Wesley, 2007.
• Edited by John H. Kagel and Alvin E. Roth. The Handbook of Experimental Economics. Princeton University Press, 2016.
• Atanasios Mitropoulos. Economic Learning, Experiments And The Limits To Information. Edward Elgar, 2004.
• Edited by Charles R. Plott and Vernon L. Smith. Handbook of Experimental Economics Results. Elsevier, 2008.

History & classics

Collected works & classics

• Robert J. Aumann. Collected Papers, Vol.1 and 2. The MIT Press, 2000.
• Edited by Sergiu Hart and Abraham Neyman. Game and Economic Theory: Selected Contributions in Honor of Robert J. Aumann. University of Michigan Press, 1995.
• Edited by Harold W. Kuhn. Classics in Game Theory. Princeton University Press, 1997.
• John F. Nash, Jr. Essays on Game Theory. Edward Elgar, 1996.
• Reinhard Selten. Game Theory and Economic Behaviour: Selected Essays. Edward Elgar Publications, 1999.

History of game theory

• Mary-Ann Dimand and Robert W. Dimand. The History of Game Theory: From the Beginnings to 1945. Routledge, 2002.
• David M. Kreps. Game Theory and Economic Modelling. Clarendon Press, 1990.
• Edited by Harold W. Kuhn and Sylvia Nasar. The Essential John Nash. Princeton University Press, 2001.
• Robert Leonard. Von Neumann, Morgenstern and the Creation of Game Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
• William Poundstone. Prisoner's Dilemma. Anchor, 2011.
• Edited by Christian Schmidt. Game Theory and Economic Analysis. A Quiet Revolution in Economics. Routledge, 2002.
• Edited by E. Roy Weintraub. Towards a History of Game Theory. Duke University Press, 1992.