To provide a control device for an internal combustion engine of cylinder injection type capable of reducing the particle matter (PM) exhaust amount by re-combusting the PM such as smoke generated in the combustion chamber of the engine.

On the basis of the engine operating condition, whether the PM generated in the combustion chamber of the engine 11 will increase or not is predicted, and if increase of PM is predicted, an exhaust side variable valve lift device 40 is controlled so as to retard the opening timing of an exhaust valve 38. If, like this, the opening timing of the exhaust valve 38 is retarded when the PM generated in the combustion chamber is predicted to increase, the period of confining the high-temperature combustion gas immediately after ignition within the combustion chamber of the engine 11 can be widened by an amount corresponding to the angle retard of the valve opening timing of the exhaust value 38. This widens the high-temperature period (re-combustion period) in which the PM generated in the combustion chamber is exposed to high-temperature gas, which reduces the PM exhaust amount through promotion of the PM re-combustion in the combustion chamber.