Submission Guide

Call for Papers

We invite submissions to the second Reinforcement Learning and Video Games Workshop, to be held fully in-person on August 15th, 2026 as part of the Reinforcement Learning Conference (RLC 2026). This workshop brings together researchers and practitioners exploring the intersection of reinforcement learning (RL) and video games. We welcome contributions on (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Data Efficiency in Games: sample-efficient, offline, and dataset-driven reinforcement learning from gameplay data;

• Open-ended Learning for Games: continual and lifelong reinforcement learning in video games;

• World Models for Games: model-based reinforcement learning and learned world dynamics in video game engines;

• Foundation Models for Games: multimodal, generative, and language-conditioned agents for game playing and development;

• Alignment and Evaluation in Games: reward learning, preference learning, human-in-the-loop learning and evaluation frameworks that assess agent behavior with respect to human, designer, and player intent;

• Multi-agent Systems in Games: self-play, population-based training, and emergent behavior in competitive and cooperative settings;

• Benchmarks and Real-world Deployment: design of reinforcement learning benchmarks derived from modern video games, and translation of research methods into practical tools for NPC control, quality assurance, and procedural content generation.

Important Dates

Call for Paper: 20 April

Workshop Paper Submission: 20 May

Notification of Results: 05 June

Camera-ready Submission: 29 June

Workshop Day: 15 August

All times are 23:59 PM, AoE.

• Submission format: We accept both long-form (8 pages) and short-form (4 pages) papers, excluding references and appendices. We do not require authors to submit a one-page cover page alongside the PDF file (as done for the main RLC conference submissions).

• Submission portal: OpenReview

• Submission policy:  We strongly encourage submissions from authors across academia and industry. In addition to mature results, we also welcome early-stage ideas, position papers, and negative results that can spark meaningful discussion within the community. We also welcome published work (as long as it was published no earlier than August 2025) and works submitted to other venues (except to other RLC workshops).

• Use of Large Language Models (LLMs): The use of LLMs and other writing tools is allowed in the preparation of submissions. However, 1) all listed authors should correspond to humans, and 2) the authors are responsible for ensuring that the content of the paper is correct and original. The authors are responsible for ensuring that plagiarized text does not occur, even if the LLM is the source of the text.

Review and Selection Process

• The review process will be double-blind.

• Accepted papers will be presented as oral presentations or posters at the workshop.

• Some select papers will be given spotlight presentations (15 minutes each).

• For each accepted paper, at least one co-author must register for RLC 2026 and present the work during the poster sessions.

• This workshop will be held entirely in person. There will be no option for remote attendance or presentation.

Financial Aid

Coming soon!