For Vulkan, Yuzu includes a feature that stores all pipelines in a VkPipelineCache object, dumping them to disk for reuse. This was implemented specifically to circumvent issues with certain drivers (especially older AMD drivers) that would otherwise invalidate or delete the native driver cache.
To combat initial stuttering, yuzu utilizes asynchronous compilation. Instead of pausing the entire game while a new shader compiles, yuzu pushes the compilation to background CPU threads.
This is a "hack" that allows the game to continue running while shaders are being compiled in the background. yuzu shader cache
Because building a shader cache from scratch requires playing through a game and enduring initial stutters, a common community question arises: Can I download a complete shader cache online? The Risk of Pre-Compiled Caches
While rare, shader caches can become corrupted. This can happen due to crashes, improper shutdowns, or conflicting modifications. A corrupted cache can cause a wide array of issues, including stuttering, graphical anomalies, and crashes. In such cases, clearing the offending cache is often the only solution. For Vulkan, Yuzu includes a feature that stores
That is normal for open-world games. Each translated shader takes space. If you are low on disk space, you can delete the cache, but expect stutter again.
: Without a cache, your game will freeze for a fraction of a second every time a new effect (like an explosion or a new character model) appears for the first time. Instead of pausing the entire game while a
Each game has its own subfolder named after its Title ID (for example, 0100F2C0095B0000 for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ). The actual cache files are named after the graphics API you are using— vulkan.bin for Vulkan, opengl.bin for OpenGL. Some users also report a large yuzu\shader\nvidia\GLCache folder; this is a driver‑level cache that can be cleared freely without affecting your in‑game progress.
If you are dealing with performance drops in a specific title, let me know: Which are you trying to run? What GPU (Nvidia, AMD, Intel) is in your PC?