A control device for an internal combustion engine including a variable compression ratio mechanism arranged to vary a relative position relationship between a piston and a cylinder, and thereby to vary a mechanical compression ratio, and a fuel injection valve arranged to directly inject a fuel within a combustion chamber, the control device includes: at least in an engine high load region including a full open, the compression ratio at an exhaust upper dead center being controlled to a low compression ratio, a fuel injection start timing of the fuel in which an air-fuel mixture is formed within the combustion chamber, and which is ignited by an ignition plug being set before an exhaust upper dead center so that a fuel injection period crosses an upper dead center.