Economics
Game Theory
6 books for Game Theory, part of the Economics course map, listed from introductory to advanced. 1 of them have an official free edition.
Suggested reading compiled by this site for university students and independent learners. This is not an official university reading plan. Check your own syllabus before buying; editions and exercise numbers differ.
Books in this reading list · 6
Study guides
Compare three books with short trial tasks, follow a six-step reading route, and test your reasoning with worked examples and changed assumptions.
Reading order
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Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction
A short, non-mathematical introduction to game theory. Starting from familiar situations such as traffic, online auctions and supermarket pricing, it explains how rational players reason about one another's choices and covers Nash equilibrium, mixed strategies, repeated games, information, auctions, evolution and bargaining.
Prerequisites: None beyond school mathematics; a willingness to work through small numerical examples helps.
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The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life
A non-technical introduction to game theory written by two economists for general readers and students. It teaches the core ideas of strategic thinking through stories and cases from business, politics, sport and everyday life, and includes worked case studies that ask readers to apply each idea before reading the answer.
Prerequisites: No mathematics beyond simple arithmetic and tables is required.
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Games of Strategy
An introductory game-theory text using concrete strategic settings to develop payoff reasoning, equilibrium and applications.
Prerequisites: Introductory economics, algebra and elementary probability suffice for the entry route. Before mixed strategies, calculate an expected payoff and identify whose action a probability describes.
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A Course in Game Theory
A concise graduate introduction to game theory that emphasises the foundations and interpretation of its central concepts rather than a catalogue of applications. The authors state definitions precisely, prove the main results, and devote unusual attention to what solution concepts mean, so that readers finish with a critical understanding of when the theory applies.
Prerequisites: Mathematical maturity at the level of a rigorous intermediate microeconomics or real analysis course; no prior game theory is required.
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Algorithmic Game Theory
Read the official free edition ↗A freely available edited textbook connecting strategic behaviour with equilibrium computation, mechanism design and the efficiency of decentralised systems.
Prerequisites: Algorithms, discrete mathematics, probability and proof writing are strongly recommended. Basic optimisation and complexity theory help with later chapters. Readers need to learn the game-theoretic definitions carefully, but the main obstacle is coordinating incentives with computational and welfare guarantees rather than knowing economics terminology alone.
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Game Theory for Applied Economists
A compact applied game-theory text organizing static and dynamic games by information, with equilibrium reasoning and economic models.
Prerequisites: Know introductory microeconomics, algebra and probability; calculus helps with continuous-action applications. Write players, timing and information before naming an equilibrium.