A Survey of Game-Theoretic Methods for Controlling COVID-19

To provide researchers and policymakers with an in-depth understanding of COVID-19 management and insights for dealing with future pandemics, this paper examines the use of game theory in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its role in understanding the virus’s dynamics and formulating effective control measures. It reviews game theory models considering public compliance, individual behaviours, socio-economic disparities, and cultural influences on COVID-19 control. It also analyses the application of game theory in evaluating common control strategies like quarantine, lockdowns, and vaccination. Future research should integrate behavioural and social factors into game models and focus on international cooperation to address data scarcity, model complexity, and unrealistic assumptions.