Shader caches
- This page contains Shader Cache sets to download for specific games
A shader cache is a collection of GPU specific programs known as shaders that get stored in your computer's auxiliary memory for quick retrieval (as you play your game).
Modern consoles and their games make heavy use of precompiled shaders specific to their GPUs, and these shaders can't be run natively on PC hardware, so they need to be translated or recompiled. The simplest way to do this is to recompile them at runtime, but that's slow and can cause stuttering every time a new shader is loaded in the game. A mitigation to this stuttering is to compile the shaders asynchronously to the emulator, but this has its own drawback in that in the time it takes to compile the shader, the effect in-game that relies on it won't be shown.
Another approach is to cache the system's raw shader pipeline and then compile the shaders before the game even starts. The only drawback here is that someone has to play through the game atleast once to 'build' a cache that can be used by others. This page provides files to pre-built caches for seamless use while playing your games.
When an emulator updates the way it handles shaders, it may break compatibility with previous shader caches; for this reason, the shader version is listed below.
Note: Please compress your shader caches with 7-Zip or WinRAR before uploading them.
GPU Shader / Pipeline Caches vs. CPU JIT Recompilation
[edit | edit source]Shader caches are NOT the same as CPU JIT / PPU / SPU / LLVM recompilation caches. See High and low-level emulation for more information. They are completely independent systems that solve different kinds of stutter:
- GPU shader / pipeline caches (what you download on this page) → translate console GPU shaders (RSX, GN, GX2, etc.) into Vulkan / D3D12 / OpenGL shaders for your PC GPU.
- CPU JIT recompilers → dynamically translate console CPU instructions (PowerPC PPU, SPU, ARM, etc.) into x86-64 code. These also produce heavy stutter the first time a code path is executed and use their own separate caching mechanisms.
| Aspect | GPU Shader / Pipeline Caches (what you download here) |
CPU JIT Recompilation (PPU/SPU/LLVM in RPCS3, PowerPC JIT in Dolphin, etc.) |
|---|---|---|
| What is compiled | Console GPU shaders → Vulkan / D3D12 / OpenGL shaders for your PC GPU | Console CPU code → native executable code (typically x86-64) |
| Primary stutter source | First time a new draw call triggers an unseen shader/pipeline permutation | RPCS3: Long boot-time "Compiling PPU Modules" → "Linking PPU Modules" → "Building SPU Cache" (first run only); rare runtime JIT hitches afterward Others: First execution of a new function/block/module |
| Cache files | vk_pipeline_cache.bin, gl_cache, transferable .zip/.bin/.vkch, etc. |
RPCS3: ~/.config/rpcs3/cache/ (PPU-*.bin, SPU-*.bin with LLVM)Dolphin/etc.: Separate JIT caches |
| What determines compatibility? | GPU architecture + driver version + emulator shader decompiler + pipeline layout hash | Emulator build + patches + settings + host CPU |
| Can be shared between users? | Yes* * Caches built on NVIDIA usually only work on NVIDIA GPUs. AMD/Vulkan caches are less portable but sometimes compatible. * Driver updates frequently invalidate caches. * Emulator updates that change the shader decompiler or pipeline layout will invalidate old caches — always check the listed “Shader version” or build number. |
No — highly system-dependent |
| Invalidated by driver update? | Very often | No |
| Typical size per game | 200 MB – 6 GB | 50 MB – 1.5 GB |
| Even with a perfect GPU cache… | …you can still get CPU-side stutter on first playthrough | …you can still get GPU shader stutter if the cache is missing or invalid |
RPCS3 tip: First boot takes time (PPU/SPU precompilation). This is normal, not a crash; results are cached for future launches.
What you’re downloading vs. driver/OS shader caches
[edit | edit source]The shader cache files on this page are emulator-specific, per-game collections of translated shaders (sometimes called “shared caches”). They are completely separate from generic driver-level caches used by Windows and GPU drivers.
Important distinction:
- Shader cache → emulator-level translation artifacts.
- Pipeline cache → driver-level binary blobs generated from those shaders.
Pipeline caches are typically hash-based and may be invalidated by driver changes, GPU microcode updates, or pipeline layout differences.
| Type | Emulator/Game-Specific Cache (what you download here) |
Windows D3D12 Shader Cache | NVIDIA NV_Cache / DXCache |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Pre-translated console → PC GPU shaders for one game | Generic DirectX 12 cache | NVIDIA internal driver caches |
| Location | Emulator folder (shader_cache, cache, gl_cache, etc.) |
%LocalAppData%\D3DSCache |
%LocalAppData%\NVIDIA\…%ProgramData%\NVIDIA Corporation\…
|
| Shareable between users? | Yes* (see notes above) | No | No |
| Survives driver updates? | Often not | Sometimes (can occasionally cause bugs) | Usually wiped |
| Deleting one affects the other? | No | No | No |
Important: Deleting your NVIDIA or D3DSCache folders will not affect emulator caches you download here, and vice versa.
Technical note (OS-level D3D12 cache): The OS cache is controlled through official DirectX 12 Shader Cache APIs introduced in Windows 10 version 2004.[1] These APIs allow applications (including some emulators) to create in-memory or disk-backed cache sessions, explicitly store/find shaders, and query driver-managed caches. NVIDIA’s NV_Cache and DXCache folders exist outside this specification and are not directly controllable by applications.
How emulators solve shader compilation stutter
[edit | edit source]When emulating seventh-generation consoles and newer, thousands — sometimes millions — of unique shader permutations must be translated for your PC GPU. Compiling them on-the-fly causes noticeable stuttering. Emulators use several techniques to reduce or eliminate this problem. Files hosted on this page are most commonly transferable disk shader/pipeline caches. When your emulator version, GPU vendor, and driver version align, you can achieve near stutter-free gameplay from the moment you press Play.
| Technique | How it works | Pros | Cons | Typical emulators using it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synchronous compilation | Compiles on the main thread the moment the shader is needed | Simple to implement | Severe stuttering (100 ms – seconds per shader) | Older builds |
| Asynchronous compilation | Background threads compile; until ready, draws may be skipped or placeholders used | Major stutter reduction | Brief visual glitches or missing effects while compiling | Azahar, Cemu, RPCS3[1], Eden - Citron, Xenia Canary - Xenia Edge[2] |
| Async Recompiler with Interpreter Fallback | Runs an interpreter for new GPU commands/shaders immediately while an optimized recompiler runs in the background; swaps once ready. | No missing visuals (unlike standard Async); much less stutter than Sync. | The "Interpreter phase" can be slow, leading to temporary frame rate fluctuations. Certain complex shaders (e.g., tessellation) may still fallback to skipping draws entirely. | RPCS3[3], Xenia Edge (Vertex shaders only)[4] |
| Disk shader and pipeline cache | Saves discovered shaders/pipelines to disk after creation; instantly reused later | Little to no stutter after the first full playthrough | Stutter on first encounter; invalidated by some driver/emulator updates | Dolphin, RPCS3, Cemu, Azahar[5][6], Vita3K, ehw's Xemu fork[2], Xenia Canary - Xenia Edge |
| Exclusive Ubershaders | One giant “do-everything” shader emulates the full GPU pipeline with no runtime specialization | Eliminates shader stutter | High constant GPU overhead; unsuitable for low-end hardware | Dolphin (Exclusive mode)[7] |
| Hybrid Ubershaders | Uses an ubershader temporarily for unseen shaders while specialized versions compile in the background | Near-zero stutter with eventual full performance | Slightly higher RAM/CPU usage during compilation | Dolphin (Hybrid mode)[8] |
| Pre-launch pipeline precompilation | Before gameplay, pipelines are compiled from previously discovered shaders or transferable caches | Minimal in-game stutter when cache is populated | Long launch times; requires an existing cache; invalidated on updates | Cemu, Dolphin, RPCS3 (partial) |
| Speculative pre-warming | Predicts likely shaders and compiles them at boot or level load | Smoother early gameplay | Extra CPU/GPU cost; predictions may miss rare shaders | Experimental / uncommon |
- Notes
- Transferable / pre-built cache: Community-shared caches built for a specific GPU architecture and driver. Can provide near-zero shader stutter immediately if compatible. Large files; often break after driver or emulator shader changes.
- Parallel compilation: Uses multiple CPU threads to compile many shaders simultaneously, dramatically reducing loading times at the cost of high temporary CPU usage.[9]
- LRU cache eviction / size limits: Automatically deletes least-recently-used shaders when a storage limit is reached, preventing unbounded cache growth. Revisiting evicted content requires recompilation.
- SPIR-V optimization passes: Options such as "Optimize SPIR-V Output" do not eliminate shader stutter but can reduce pipeline build cost, sometimes improving first-time compilation smoothness. Helpful, but not a substitute for caches or async compilation.[10]
Technical insight: Modern GPUs use highly state-dependent pipelines. A single logical shader may generate dozens or hundreds of pipeline permutations depending on blend state, render targets, MSAA, vertex layout, and depth configuration. This combinatorial behavior is one reason fully eliminating first-run shader compilation remains difficult for many emulators.
Cemu
[edit | edit source]Put files in <cemuFolder>\shaderCache\transferable\
Newer versions of Cemu leverage Vulkan 1.2 and asynchronous shaders in a way that it may be preferable on modern GPUs to use async shaders instead of a shader cache, so try enabling that before hunting for shader caches. The current shader version is 150, but Cemu is backward-compatible from version 149 (Cemu version 1.7.0, 2017/05/16) Cemu 1.25.0+ is not backward-compatible with any prior transferable cache.
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Shader Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayonetta 2 | Download | 149 | 1210 | |
| Captain Toad Treasure Tracker | Download | 149 | 2146 | |
| Devil's Third | Download | 149 | 4421 | |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Download | 149 | 1950 | |
| Fast Racing NEO | Download | 149 | 1776 | |
| Fatal Frame 5 | Download | 149 | 1023 | |
| Hyrule Warriors | Download | 149 | 1222 | |
| Kirby and the Rainbow Curse | Download | 149 | 3004 | |
| Mario Kart 8 | Download | 149 | 12029 | |
| Mario Party 10 | Download | 149 | 1235 | |
| Mario Tennis | Download | 149 | 1230 | |
| New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U | Download | 149 | 886 | |
| Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge | Download | 149 | 868 | |
| Pikmin 3 | Download | 149 | 2423 | |
| Splatoon | Download | 149 | 6790 | |
| Star Fox Zero | Download | 149 | 384 | |
| Super Mario 3D World | Download | 149 | 4298 | |
| Super Mario Maker | Download | 149 | 584 | |
| Super Smash Bros. WiiU | Download | 150 | 4765 | |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | Download | 149 | 1980 | |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Download | 149 | 9674 | |
| Download | 150 | 6500ish shaders, 11000 vulkan pipelines | Incomplete, this is meant for Vulkan users (the cache above will still work with Vulkan) so they don't have to build pipelines. Don't try to combine the pipelines with another cache, as they are incompatible. | |
| Download | 150 | 9627 shaders, 32609 vulkan pipelines | Almost perfect, JPN version of Breath of the Wild for the Cemu 1.25, other region versions can use the OpenGL shaders, change its name, for example, change 9300 to 9500. The Vulkan pipelines will increase with your hardware driver update. | |
| Download | 150 | 9430 shaders, 56354 vulkan pipelines | US version of zelda breath of the wild game played through with Cemu version 1.26.2f using Vulkan Graphics API, this is the entire shaderCache folder. | |
| The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD | Download | 149 | 2635 | |
| The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD | Download | 149 | 11835 | |
| Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE | Download | 149 | 2438 | |
| Xenoblade | Download | 149 | 17592 | |
| Yoshi's Woolly World | Download | 149 | 5002 |
RPCS3
[edit | edit source]Put the raw and pipeline folders in <RPCS3Folder>\cache\<gameSerial>\ppu-<hash>-EBOOT.BIN\shaders_cache\
Current shader version is v1.95 (2025/02/20)[3]
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Shader Count | Renderer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asura's Wrath | Download | v1.95 | 8989 | Vulkan | |
| God of War III | Download | v1.94 | 9330 | Vulkan | |
| Guitar Hero 5 | Download | v1.94 | 1485 | Vulkan | |
| Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock | Download | v1.94 | 1953 | Vulkan | |
| ModNation Racers | Download | v1.94 | 1311 | Vulkan | |
| Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time | Download | v1.93 | 1191 | Vulkan | |
| Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus | Download | v1.93 | 1150 | Vulkan | |
| Rock Band 3 Deluxe | Download | v1.94 | 1280 | Vulkan | |
| Skylanders Giants | Download | v1.94 | 2831 | Vulkan | |
| The Beatles: Rock Band | Download | v1.94 | 721 | Vulkan |
Xenia
[edit | edit source]Put the files in <XeniaFolder>\cache_host\shaders\shareable
Current shader version is 20220720[4]
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Renderer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Odyssey | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | 100% Full Playthrough (Discs 1-4)
Xenia Canary Build December 25 2022 (9f0d3d4) |
| Gears of War 2 | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough of Main Campaign |
| Gears of War 3 | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough |
| Gears of War Judgment | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough Judgment/Aftermath |
| Fracture | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough of Main Campaign on Hardcore |
| Bloodforge | Download | 20220720 | DX12 RTV | Full Playthrough |
| Sonic Unleashed | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough |
| Red Dead Redemption | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough of Main Campaign and Undead Nightmare |
| Sonic Unleashed | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough |
| WET | Download | 20220720 | DX12 ROV | Full Playthrough of Main Campaign |
Citra
[edit | edit source]Put files in <user>\shaders\opengl\transferable\
Current shader version is 1 (2019/09/07)[5]
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Shader Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing: New Leaf | Download | 1 | 1403 |
| Mario Kart 7 | Download | 1 | 299 |
| New Super Mario Bros. 2 | Download | 1 | 1308 |
| Pokemon: Ultra Sun | Download | 1 | 703 |
| Super Mario 3D Land | Download | 1 | 1379 |
| Super Smash Bros. 3DS | Download | 1 | 3312 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D | Download | 1 | 426 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D | Download | 1 | 2211 |
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | Download | 1 | 49 |
| Tomodachi Life | Download | 1 | 10123 |
| Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX | Download | 1 | 1022 |
| Mario Kart 7 | Download | 1 | 742 |
Right click the game in Ryujinx's game list, Cache Management > Open Shader Cache Directory, and extract the zip there.
To share: Right click the game in Ryujinx's game list, Cache Management > Open Shader Cache Directory and zip all the files named "guest" and "shared". Use the title ID as filename (check the file path for a folder with a name that resembles 010015100b514000).
- Don't upload shaders if you used mods.
- Vendors seem to matter, so if your card is AMD and there's only an NVIDIA shader cache available, add another entry, and vice-versa. Don't just replace caches from different vendors.
Current shader version is 1.1 (2023/10/23)[6]
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Vendor | Shader Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp | Download | 1.1 | Nvidia | 279 |
| Bayonetta 2 | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 1117 |
| Bayonetta 3 | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 1943 |
| Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 579 |
| Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 7521 |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Download | 1.1 | Apple | 784 |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 796 |
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 6774 |
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 6635 |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 5934 |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 5921 |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Download | 1.1 | Apple | 5989 |
| Metroid Dread | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 401 |
| Luigi's Mansion 2 HD | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 117 |
| Pokémon Legends: Z-A | Vulkan | 1.1 | AMD | 3311 |
| Pokémon Sword | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 26042 |
| Pokémon Violet 3.0.1 (with DLCs) | Vulkan | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 7637 |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 3634 |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 4169 |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 4119 |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Download | 1.1 | Intel | 7773 |
| Super Mario Odyssey | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 14040 |
| Super Mario RPG | Download | 1.1 | Apple | 822 |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 22425 |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 37892 |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 22425 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 4445 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 4518 |
| Master Detective Archives: Rain Code | Download | 1.1 | AMD | 4085 |
| Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Download | 1.1 | NVIDIA | 4517 |
Dump from defunct RyuSAK servers. Have in mind that some shaders might be broken (such as Mario Kart 8).
Avoid re-uploading these shaders to the list above.
Yuzu
[edit | edit source]NOTE: Yuzu is no longer being maintained and shutdown their services (including all repositories) because of legal troubles.
Right click the game in Yuzu's game list and click Open Transferable Pipeline Cache and copy/paste the .bin file.
Current shader version is 11 (2024/1/27). Use version 1659 and below to get shader version 10[7]
Yuzu build 1644
| Game | Link(s) | Shader Version | Shader Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled | Vulkan | 5 | 954 | |
| Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Vulkan | 5 | 1084 | |
| Fire Emblem Three Houses | OpenGL | 5 | 247 | |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | Vulkan | 10 | 1162 | |
| Luigi's Mansion 3 | OpenGL | 5 | 1015 | |
| Vulkan | 5 | 1946 | ||
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Vulkan | 11 | 37354 | |
| Kirby Return to Dream Land Deluxe | Vulkan | 11 | 33055 | |
| LEGO Harry Potter Collection | Vulkan | 5 | 3181 | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Vulkan | 5 | 545 | |
| Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Vulkan | 10 | 7843 | |
| Metroid Dread | Vulkan | 5 | 490 | |
| Metroid Prime Remastered | Vulkan | 10 | 2323 | |
| New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Vulkan | 5 | 1308 | |
| Nickelodeon Kart Racers | Vulkan | 5 | 437 | |
| Pokemon Shield | Vulkan | 5 | 13169 | |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Vulkan | 5 | 7178 | |
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Vulkan | 10 | 17531 | |
| Super Mario Odyssey | Vulkan | 5 | 28852 | |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | OpenGL | 5 | 11803 | |
| Vulkan | 10 | 14529 | ||
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Vulkan | 10 | 52239 | |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | Vulkan | 11 | 54945 | |
| Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna | Vulkan | 5 | 19369 | |
| Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Vulkan | 11 | 4000 | |
| Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed | Vulkan | 10 | 55000 |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ D3D12 Shader Cache Specification. Microsoft
- ↑ Feature request for mainline Xemu.
- ↑ RPCS3's shader version source on Github
- ↑ Xenia's shader version source on Github
- ↑ Citra's shader version source on Github
- ↑ Ryujinx's shader version source on Github
- ↑ yuzu Vulkan and OpenGL shader version source on GitHub