The Progress and Trend of Intelligent NPCs in Games
Haodong Du · Applied and Computational Engineering · 2025
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, non-player characters (NPCs) in games have become increasingly intelligent. NPCs undoubtedly enhance players’ gaming experience by allowing for better adjustments to game difficulty and narrative development through the optimization of NPC behavior logic. However, research on intelligent NPCs in games remains underdeveloped, highlighting the need for more systematic studies. To address this issue, we review the literature on intelligent NPCs and summarize the progress and trends of intelligent NPCs in games. We compare classical game NPCs with intelligent NPCs and conclude that continued development is essential for advancing intelligent NPCs. We should refine the scoring standards for NPC behaviors based on the content of different games, encouraging AI to exhibit human-like behaviors and enhance authenticity. Moreover, we should create an ideal environment for AI training to make the process more efficient and the results more effective. Furthermore, we propose the goals and challenges in the current development of NPCs. Finally, we summarize the progress and trends of intelligent NPCs in games to provide insights for future researchers.