In a control device for an internal combustion engine including a throttle valve for adjusting the intake air amount that affects on the torque of the internal combustion engine, when a request for acceleration of the internal combustion engine is made, a torque gradient, which is a change in the torque of the internal combustion engine per unit time during the acceleration, is predicted based on an operating condition of the internal combustion engine before the acceleration, and the operation of the throttle valve is controlled based on the predicted torque gradient during the acceleration of the internal combustion engine.