SocialGrid: A Benchmark for Planning and Social Reasoning in Embodied Multi-Agent Systems

arXiv cs.AI / 4/20/2026

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Key Points

  • SocialGrid is a new embodied multi-agent benchmark for evaluating LLM agents on planning, task execution, and social reasoning in an environment inspired by Among Us.
  • Experiments show that even the strongest open model tested (GPT-OSS-120B) achieves under 60% accuracy on task completion and planning, often getting stuck in repetitive behaviors or failing basic navigation.
  • To prevent navigation/planning weaknesses from masking social-intelligence performance, SocialGrid includes an optional Planning Oracle that separates planning deficits from social reasoning evaluation.
  • The results indicate that deception detection remains a major bottleneck, performing near random chance even as model size scales, suggesting reliance on shallow heuristics rather than evidence accumulation.
  • SocialGrid also offers automatic failure analysis with fine-grained metrics and includes an Elo-based leaderboard from adversarial league play for ongoing comparison.

Abstract

As Large Language Models (LLMs) transition from text processors to autonomous agents, evaluating their social reasoning in embodied multi-agent settings becomes critical. We introduce SocialGrid, an embodied multi-agent environment inspired by Among Us that evaluates LLM agents on planning, task execution, and social reasoning. Our evaluations reveal that even the strongest open model (GPT-OSS-120B) achieves below 60% accuracy in task completion and planning, with agents getting stuck in repetitive behaviors or failing to navigate basic obstacles. Since poor navigation confounds evaluation of social intelligence, SocialGrid offers an optional Planning Oracle to isolate social reasoning from planning deficits. While planning assistance improves task completion, social reasoning remains a bottleneck: agents fail to detect deception at near-random chance regardless of scale, relying on shallow heuristics rather than accumulating behavioral evidence. SocialGrid provides automatic failure analysis and fine-grained metrics, enabling developers to diagnose and improve their agents. We also establish a competitive leaderboard using Elo ratings from adversarial league play.