Yuzu: Shader Cache

Despite its benefits, the shader cache introduces significant drawbacks. A complete cache for a large open-world game could occupy hundreds of megabytes, sometimes exceeding 1-2 GB. For users with limited SSD space or those emulating dozens of titles, cumulative shader caches represent a non-trivial storage burden. Moreover, driver updates or changes in Yuzu’s graphics backend often invalidated existing caches, forcing a painful recompilation process.

Enable to improve synchronization between the CPU and GPU. Troubleshooting Common Issues Stuttering on New GPU Drivers

Current shader version for Yuzu is (as of January 27, 2024). For context, version 10 corresponds to Yuzu builds 1659 and below. Before downloading transferable caches, verify both your Yuzu version and the cache's version compatibility. shader cache yuzu

While you can find "transferable shader caches" online to skip the building process, this is often discouraged:

Some emulators (like RPCS3 for PS3) already download shader caches automatically from a central server. Yuzu never officially added this feature due to hosting costs and legal grey areas. However, custom builds like have experimented with it. Moreover, driver updates or changes in Yuzu’s graphics

Once Yuzu compiles a shader, it saves it to your storage drive. This storage space is the . The next time the game requires that exact same explosion, Yuzu instantly pulls the pre-compiled shader from your hard drive instead of calculating it from scratch. As your shader cache grows, your game becomes progressively smoother. The Two Types of Shader Caches in Yuzu

The shader cache is the foundation of consistent performance. Without it, your game would stutter every single time it had to compile a new shader. For large, complex games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , this could mean hundreds or even thousands of stutters during a normal playthrough, making the game feel unpolished and impacting your immersion. For context, version 10 corresponds to Yuzu builds

Alternatively, you can navigate to the directory manually on Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\yuzu\shader\ Clearing the Cache