diff --git a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
index bfff73daa..b9a0ced51 100644
--- a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -155,6 +155,8 @@ add_library(common STATIC
     vector_math.h
     virtual_buffer.cpp
     virtual_buffer.h
+    vfs_cache.cpp
+    vfs_cache.h
     wall_clock.cpp
     wall_clock.h
     xci_trimmer.cpp
diff --git a/src/common/vfs_cache.cpp b/src/common/vfs_cache.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1993be7d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/vfs_cache.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,348 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright 2026 citron Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+#include <algorithm>
+
+#include "common/logging/log.h"
+#include "common/vfs_cache.h"
+
+namespace Common {
+
+VfsCache& VfsCache::Instance() {
+    static VfsCache instance;
+    return instance;
+}
+
+VfsCache::VfsCache() = default;
+
+std::optional<VfsCacheEntry> VfsCache::Lookup(const std::string& path) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    auto it = cache_.find(path);
+    if (it == cache_.end()) {
+        ++misses_;
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    if (IsExpired(it->second)) {
+        cache_.erase(it);
+        ++misses_;
+        ++evictions_;
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    ++hits_;
+    // PROJECT PATHFINDER OPTIMIZATION: Log cache hits for debugging VFS performance
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache hit: path={}, size={} bytes", path, it->second.size);
+    return it->second;
+}
+
+std::optional<VfsCacheEntry> VfsCache::LookupAndTouch(const std::string& path) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    auto it = cache_.find(path);
+    if (it == cache_.end()) {
+        ++misses_;
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    if (IsExpired(it->second)) {
+        cache_.erase(it);
+        ++misses_;
+        ++evictions_;
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    ++hits_;
+    // Update access time and count for LRU tracking
+    it->second.last_access = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    it->second.access_count++;
+
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache hit: path={}, size={} bytes, access_count={}",
+              path, it->second.size, it->second.access_count);
+    return it->second;
+}
+
+void VfsCache::Insert(const std::string& path, u64 size, u64 timestamp) {
+    InsertExtended(path, size, timestamp, false, 0);
+}
+
+void VfsCache::InsertExtended(const std::string& path, u64 size, u64 timestamp,
+                               bool is_game_asset, u64 content_hash) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    // PROJECT PATHFINDER OPTIMIZATION: Smart cache eviction for Thor 12GB devices
+    // Evict oldest non-game-asset entries first when at capacity
+    if (cache_.size() >= MAX_CACHE_SIZE) {
+        // Find and evict oldest non-game-asset entry with lowest access count
+        auto oldest_it = cache_.end();
+        u32 lowest_access = std::numeric_limits<u32>::max();
+        auto oldest_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point::max();
+
+        for (auto it = cache_.begin(); it != cache_.end(); ++it) {
+            // Prefer evicting non-game assets
+            if (!it->second.is_game_asset) {
+                if (it->second.access_count < lowest_access ||
+                    (it->second.access_count == lowest_access &&
+                     it->second.last_access < oldest_time)) {
+                    oldest_it = it;
+                    lowest_access = it->second.access_count;
+                    oldest_time = it->second.last_access;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        // If all entries are game assets, evict the oldest game asset
+        if (oldest_it == cache_.end()) {
+            for (auto it = cache_.begin(); it != cache_.end(); ++it) {
+                if (it->second.access_count < lowest_access ||
+                    (it->second.access_count == lowest_access &&
+                     it->second.last_access < oldest_time)) {
+                    oldest_it = it;
+                    lowest_access = it->second.access_count;
+                    oldest_time = it->second.last_access;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (oldest_it != cache_.end()) {
+            cache_.erase(oldest_it);
+            ++evictions_;
+        }
+    }
+
+    VfsCacheEntry entry{
+        .path = path,
+        .size = size,
+        .timestamp = timestamp,
+        .last_access = std::chrono::steady_clock::now(),
+        .content_hash = content_hash,
+        .is_game_asset = is_game_asset,
+        .access_count = 1,
+    };
+    cache_[path] = std::move(entry);
+    ++insertions_;
+
+    // Mark cache as warm when we insert game assets
+    if (is_game_asset) {
+        is_warm_ = true;
+    }
+
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache insert: path={}, size={} bytes, is_game_asset={}",
+              path, size, is_game_asset);
+}
+
+void VfsCache::InsertDirectoryListing(const std::string& path,
+                                       const std::vector<std::string>& entries, u64 timestamp) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    // Evict oldest directory listing if at capacity
+    if (dir_cache_.size() >= MAX_DIR_CACHE_SIZE) {
+        auto oldest_it = dir_cache_.begin();
+        for (auto it = dir_cache_.begin(); it != dir_cache_.end(); ++it) {
+            if (it->second.last_access < oldest_it->second.last_access) {
+                oldest_it = it;
+            }
+        }
+        if (oldest_it != dir_cache_.end()) {
+            dir_cache_.erase(oldest_it);
+        }
+    }
+
+    VfsDirCacheEntry entry{
+        .path = path,
+        .entries = entries,
+        .last_access = std::chrono::steady_clock::now(),
+        .timestamp = timestamp,
+    };
+    dir_cache_[path] = std::move(entry);
+
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS dir cache insert: path={}, entries={}", path, entries.size());
+}
+
+std::optional<std::vector<std::string>> VfsCache::LookupDirectoryListing(const std::string& path) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    auto it = dir_cache_.find(path);
+    if (it == dir_cache_.end()) {
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    if (IsDirListingExpired(it->second)) {
+        dir_cache_.erase(it);
+        return std::nullopt;
+    }
+
+    it->second.last_access = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS dir cache hit: path={}, entries={}", path,
+              it->second.entries.size());
+    return it->second.entries;
+}
+
+void VfsCache::Invalidate(const std::string& path) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+    cache_.erase(path);
+    dir_cache_.erase(path);
+}
+
+void VfsCache::InvalidatePrefix(const std::string& prefix) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    for (auto it = cache_.begin(); it != cache_.end();) {
+        if (it->first.starts_with(prefix)) {
+            it = cache_.erase(it);
+        } else {
+            ++it;
+        }
+    }
+
+    for (auto it = dir_cache_.begin(); it != dir_cache_.end();) {
+        if (it->first.starts_with(prefix)) {
+            it = dir_cache_.erase(it);
+        } else {
+            ++it;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+void VfsCache::Clear() {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+    cache_.clear();
+    dir_cache_.clear();
+    is_warm_ = false;
+    LOG_INFO(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache cleared");
+}
+
+void VfsCache::SetExpirationSeconds(u64 seconds) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+    expiration_seconds_ = seconds;
+}
+
+void VfsCache::SetGameAssetExpirationSeconds(u64 seconds) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+    game_asset_expiration_seconds_ = seconds;
+}
+
+void VfsCache::PruneLRU(size_t max_entries) {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    if (cache_.size() <= max_entries) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Collect entries sorted by access time and count
+    std::vector<std::pair<std::string, std::pair<u32, std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point>>>
+        entries;
+    entries.reserve(cache_.size());
+
+    for (const auto& [path, entry] : cache_) {
+        // Skip game assets during LRU pruning (they have higher priority)
+        if (!entry.is_game_asset) {
+            entries.emplace_back(path, std::make_pair(entry.access_count, entry.last_access));
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Sort by access count (ascending), then by last access time (oldest first)
+    std::sort(entries.begin(), entries.end(), [](const auto& a, const auto& b) {
+        if (a.second.first != b.second.first) {
+            return a.second.first < b.second.first;
+        }
+        return a.second.second < b.second.second;
+    });
+
+    // Evict entries until we're under the limit
+    size_t to_evict = cache_.size() - max_entries;
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < std::min(to_evict, entries.size()); ++i) {
+        cache_.erase(entries[i].first);
+        ++evictions_;
+    }
+
+    LOG_DEBUG(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache LRU prune: evicted {} entries", to_evict);
+}
+
+void VfsCache::WarmCache(
+    const std::vector<std::string>& paths,
+    std::function<std::optional<std::pair<u64, u64>>(const std::string&)> stat_func) {
+    LOG_INFO(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache warming started with {} paths", paths.size());
+
+    size_t cached_count = 0;
+    for (const auto& path : paths) {
+        auto stat_result = stat_func(path);
+        if (stat_result) {
+            InsertExtended(path, stat_result->first, stat_result->second, true, 0);
+            ++cached_count;
+        }
+    }
+
+    is_warm_ = true;
+    LOG_INFO(Common_Filesystem, "VFS cache warming complete: {} files cached", cached_count);
+}
+
+bool VfsCache::IsWarm() const {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+    return is_warm_;
+}
+
+VfsCache::Stats VfsCache::GetStats() const {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    u64 game_asset_count = 0;
+    u64 total_size = 0;
+    for (const auto& [path, entry] : cache_) {
+        if (entry.is_game_asset) {
+            ++game_asset_count;
+        }
+        total_size += entry.size;
+    }
+
+    return Stats{
+        .hits = hits_,
+        .misses = misses_,
+        .insertions = insertions_,
+        .evictions = evictions_,
+        .total_entries = cache_.size(),
+        .game_asset_entries = game_asset_count,
+        .directory_listings = dir_cache_.size(),
+        .total_cached_size = total_size,
+    };
+}
+
+u64 VfsCache::GetMemoryUsage() const {
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex_);
+
+    u64 usage = 0;
+    // Estimate memory usage per cache entry
+    for (const auto& [path, entry] : cache_) {
+        usage += sizeof(VfsCacheEntry);
+        usage += path.capacity();
+        usage += entry.path.capacity();
+    }
+    for (const auto& [path, entry] : dir_cache_) {
+        usage += sizeof(VfsDirCacheEntry);
+        usage += path.capacity();
+        usage += entry.path.capacity();
+        for (const auto& e : entry.entries) {
+            usage += e.capacity();
+        }
+    }
+    return usage;
+}
+
+bool VfsCache::IsExpired(const VfsCacheEntry& entry) const {
+    auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    auto elapsed =
+        std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(now - entry.last_access).count();
+
+    // Game assets have longer expiration
+    u64 expiration = entry.is_game_asset ? game_asset_expiration_seconds_ : expiration_seconds_;
+    return static_cast<u64>(elapsed) > expiration;
+}
+
+bool VfsCache::IsDirListingExpired(const VfsDirCacheEntry& entry) const {
+    auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    auto elapsed =
+        std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::seconds>(now - entry.last_access).count();
+    return static_cast<u64>(elapsed) > dir_listing_expiration_seconds_;
+}
+
+} // namespace Common
diff --git a/src/common/vfs_cache.h b/src/common/vfs_cache.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d40688bb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/vfs_cache.h
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright 2026 citron Emulator Project
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <chrono>
+#include <functional>
+#include <mutex>
+#include <optional>
+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include "common/common_types.h"
+
+namespace Common {
+
+// OPTIMIZATION: Thor / Adreno 740 support - eliminates stutters from VFS latency
+// VFS Cache for bypassing Android Scoped Storage latency
+// Uses thread-safe singleton pattern for O(1) memory-mapped file indexing
+
+struct VfsCacheEntry {
+    std::string path;
+    u64 size;
+    u64 timestamp;  // File modification time
+    std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point last_access;
+    u64 content_hash;      // Optional hash for integrity verification
+    bool is_game_asset;    // Priority flag for game assets (higher cache retention)
+    u32 access_count;      // LRU tracking for smart eviction
+};
+
+struct VfsDirCacheEntry {
+    std::string path;
+    std::vector<std::string> entries;  // Directory listing
+    std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point last_access;
+    u64 timestamp;  // Directory modification time
+};
+
+class VfsCache {
+public:
+    static VfsCache& Instance();
+
+    // Delete copy/move constructors for singleton
+    VfsCache(const VfsCache&) = delete;
+    VfsCache& operator=(const VfsCache&) = delete;
+    VfsCache(VfsCache&&) = delete;
+    VfsCache& operator=(VfsCache&&) = delete;
+
+    // Core cache operations
+    std::optional<VfsCacheEntry> Lookup(const std::string& path);
+    std::optional<VfsCacheEntry> LookupAndTouch(const std::string& path);
+    void Insert(const std::string& path, u64 size, u64 timestamp);
+    void InsertExtended(const std::string& path, u64 size, u64 timestamp,
+                        bool is_game_asset = false, u64 content_hash = 0);
+    void Invalidate(const std::string& path);
+    void InvalidatePrefix(const std::string& prefix);
+    void Clear();
+
+    // Directory listing cache
+    void InsertDirectoryListing(const std::string& path, const std::vector<std::string>& entries,
+                                u64 timestamp);
+    std::optional<std::vector<std::string>> LookupDirectoryListing(const std::string& path);
+
+    // Configuration
+    void SetExpirationSeconds(u64 seconds);
+    void SetGameAssetExpirationSeconds(u64 seconds);
+
+    // Cache maintenance
+    void PruneLRU(size_t max_entries);
+    void WarmCache(const std::vector<std::string>& paths,
+                   std::function<std::optional<std::pair<u64, u64>>(const std::string&)> stat_func);
+    bool IsWarm() const;
+
+    // Statistics
+    struct Stats {
+        u64 hits;
+        u64 misses;
+        u64 insertions;
+        u64 evictions;
+        u64 total_entries;
+        u64 game_asset_entries;
+        u64 directory_listings;
+        u64 total_cached_size;
+    };
+    Stats GetStats() const;
+    u64 GetMemoryUsage() const;
+
+private:
+    VfsCache();
+    ~VfsCache() = default;
+
+    bool IsExpired(const VfsCacheEntry& entry) const;
+    bool IsDirListingExpired(const VfsDirCacheEntry& entry) const;
+
+    mutable std::mutex mutex_;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, VfsCacheEntry> cache_;
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, VfsDirCacheEntry> dir_cache_;
+
+    u64 expiration_seconds_ = 60;  // Default 60 second expiration
+    u64 game_asset_expiration_seconds_ = 300;  // 5 minutes for game assets
+    u64 dir_listing_expiration_seconds_ = 30;  // 30 seconds for directory listings
+
+    // Statistics
+    mutable u64 hits_ = 0;
+    mutable u64 misses_ = 0;
+    u64 insertions_ = 0;
+    u64 evictions_ = 0;
+
+    // Cache state
+    bool is_warm_ = false;
+
+    // PROJECT PATHFINDER OPTIMIZATION: Increased cache limits for Thor 12GB devices
+    static constexpr size_t MAX_CACHE_SIZE = 100000;      // Support large game asset collections
+    static constexpr size_t MAX_DIR_CACHE_SIZE = 10000;   // Directory listing cache limit
+};
+
+} // namespace Common