In one embodiment, a vehicle merge control system generates sensor data that indicate a detected vehicle in an environment of the ego vehicle, identifies a conflict based at least in part on the sensor data indicating that the detected vehicle and the ego vehicle are traveling: 1) in adjacent lanes that will merge into a single lane, and 2) at respective speeds that will result in the detected vehicle entering within a threshold range of the ego vehicle, determines, upon identification of the conflict, merge position assignments for the ego vehicle and the detected vehicle based at least in part on a game theory cost function applied to game theory actions that result in the merge position assignments exclusively being either a lead vehicle or a follower vehicle, and outputs an acceleration rate to achieve the merge position assignment for the ego vehicle.