The process for adding shader cache to Yuzu is pretty easy. So if you have a precompiled shader cache downloaded from a third-party website, here’s how to add the shader cache to Yuzu Emulator.
Yuzu is a popular Nintendo Switch emulator that allows you to play Nintendo Switch games on your computer. Like other modern emulators, Yuzu utilises shader caching to improve performance while emulating Nintendo Switch games.
Also Checkout: How to Add Cheats to Yuzu Emulator
When you first run a game on Yuzu, the emulator will automatically compile and generate shaders specific to that game. As you play the game, Yuzu will continue to compile and cache shaders in a directory on your computer’s storage. This shader cache directory is typically located at the following path:
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\yuzu\shader\cache
And the shader cache files have the “.bin” extension and are stored in various subfolders corresponding to different games. Shader caching in Yuzu is especially useful for games that use complex shaders, as it can significantly reduce stuttering and frame rate drops, leading to faster load times and a smoother experience during gameplay.
Now, assuming you have downloaded a compatible Nintendo Switch game playable on Yuzu and want to manually add a precompiled shader cache to speed up subsequent playthroughs of the game or sections of the game, here’s how to add a shader cache to Yuzu Emulator.
How to Add a Shader Cache to the Yuzu Emulator
To add shader cache to Yuzu Emulator, you’ll need to follow the steps below:
Download Shader Cache Files
First, you need to download shader cache files for the specific games you want to play on Yuzu. You can find precompiled shader cache files shared by other users on various online forums and communities, but to make things easier, you can look up and download the shader cache files of some popular Yuzu games from here or here.
Extract the Shader Cache files.
Once you have obtained the shader cache files for any of your favourite games, simply sideload 7-Zip or WinRar, then right-click on the downloaded shader cache file and extract it using any of the aforementioned programmes.
Move the Shader Cache File to the Transferable folder.
Now open up Yuzu Emulator, and from the game’s list, right-click on the game you’re looking to add shader cache to.
A drop-down menu will appear; simply click on Open Transferable Shader Cache or Open “Transferable Pipeline Cache” and copy or paste the extracted shader cache file, which should be in “.bin” format, to this location.
Note: You can manually add shader cache to Yuzu Emulator by creating a folder named “transferable” inside the “shader” folder of Yuzu’s user directory. For example: The default location for Yuzu’s user directory is usually:
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\yuzu
So, the path to the “transferable” folder would be:
C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\yuzu\shader\transferable
Launch the Game and play.
Once you have added the shader cache to a specific game on Yuzu, simply open the game, and the Yuzu emulator will automatically detect and use the shader cache files you placed in the “transferable” folder.
Deleting the Shader Cache File on Yuzu Emulator
For one thing, adding shader cache to Yuzu can help improve performance, reduce stuttering, and provide a smoother gameplay experience. But it is worth noting that Yuzu’s shader cache can take up a considerable amount of space over time, especially if you play many different games.
If you want to clear the shader cache to free up space or for other reasons, you can do so by deleting the contents of the “cache” or “transferable” folder mentioned earlier. However, keep in mind that doing this will lead to Yuzu recompiling shaders during gameplay, which may result in longer initial loading times for the affected games. The cache will gradually rebuild as you play the games again.