diff --git a/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/ui/SettingsFragmentPresenter.java b/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/ui/SettingsFragmentPresenter.java
index f27596228f..42a6bb4911 100644
--- a/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/ui/SettingsFragmentPresenter.java
+++ b/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/ui/SettingsFragmentPresenter.java
@@ -559,6 +559,7 @@ public final class SettingsFragmentPresenter
             new BooleanSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_IGNORE_FORMAT, Settings.SECTION_GFX_HACKS,
                     ignoreFormatValue);
     Setting efbToTexture = hacksSection.getSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_EFB_TEXTURE);
+    Setting deferEfbCopies = hacksSection.getSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_DEFER_EFB_COPIES);
     Setting texCacheAccuracy = gfxSection.getSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_TEXCACHE_ACCURACY);
     Setting gpuTextureDecoding = gfxSection.getSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_GPU_TEXTURE_DECODING);
     Setting xfbToTexture = hacksSection.getSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_XFB_TEXTURE);
@@ -573,6 +574,9 @@ public final class SettingsFragmentPresenter
             ignoreFormat));
     sl.add(new CheckBoxSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_EFB_TEXTURE, Settings.SECTION_GFX_HACKS,
             R.string.efb_copy_method, R.string.efb_copy_method_description, true, efbToTexture));
+    sl.add(new CheckBoxSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_DEFER_EFB_COPIES, Settings.SECTION_GFX_HACKS,
+            R.string.defer_efb_copies, R.string.defer_efb_copies_description, true,
+            deferEfbCopies));
 
     sl.add(new HeaderSetting(null, null, R.string.texture_cache, 0));
     sl.add(new SingleChoiceSetting(SettingsFile.KEY_TEXCACHE_ACCURACY,
diff --git a/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/utils/SettingsFile.java b/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/utils/SettingsFile.java
index 79315dbe90..322e2f0ae8 100644
--- a/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/utils/SettingsFile.java
+++ b/Source/Android/app/src/main/java/org/dolphinemu/dolphinemu/features/settings/utils/SettingsFile.java
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ public final class SettingsFile
   public static final String KEY_SKIP_EFB = "EFBAccessEnable";
   public static final String KEY_IGNORE_FORMAT = "EFBEmulateFormatChanges";
   public static final String KEY_EFB_TEXTURE = "EFBToTextureEnable";
+  public static final String KEY_DEFER_EFB_COPIES = "DeferEFBCopies";
   public static final String KEY_TEXCACHE_ACCURACY = "SafeTextureCacheColorSamples";
   public static final String KEY_GPU_TEXTURE_DECODING = "EnableGPUTextureDecoding";
   public static final String KEY_XFB_TEXTURE = "XFBToTextureEnable";
diff --git a/Source/Android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/Source/Android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index e1ad38d38f..ed70092646 100644
--- a/Source/Android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/Source/Android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -207,6 +207,8 @@
     <string name="ignore_format_changes_description">Ignore any changes to the EFB format.</string>
     <string name="efb_copy_method">Store EFB Copies to Texture Only</string>
     <string name="efb_copy_method_description">Stores EFB Copies exclusively on the GPU, bypassing system memory. Causes graphical defects in a small number of games. If unsure, leave this checked.</string>
+    <string name="defer_efb_copies">Defer EFB Copies to RAM</string>
+    <string name="defer_efb_copies_description">Waits until the game synchronizes with the emulated GPU before writing the contents of EFB copies to RAM. May result in faster performance. If unsure, leave this unchecked.</string>
     <string name="texture_cache">Texture Cache</string>
     <string name="texture_cache_accuracy">Texture Cache Accuracy</string>
     <string name="texture_cache_accuracy_description">The safer the selection, the less likely the emulator will be missing any texture updates from RAM.</string>
diff --git a/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp b/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
index 63b6d6c481..b76f3b09f4 100644
--- a/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/Core/Analytics.cpp
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ void DolphinAnalytics::MakePerGameBuilder()
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-efb-copy-format-changes", g_Config.bEFBEmulateFormatChanges);
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-efb-copy-ram", !g_Config.bSkipEFBCopyToRam);
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-xfb-copy-ram", !g_Config.bSkipXFBCopyToRam);
+  builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-defer-efb-copies", g_Config.bDeferEFBCopies);
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-immediate-xfb", !g_Config.bImmediateXFB);
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-efb-copy-scaled", g_Config.bCopyEFBScaled);
   builder.AddData("cfg-gfx-internal-resolution", g_Config.iEFBScale);
diff --git a/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.cpp b/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.cpp
index 3a2a40a6d7..61904b8a70 100644
--- a/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.cpp
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_SKIP_XFB_COPY_TO_RAM{{System::GFX, "Hacks", "XFB
                                                      true};
 const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_DISABLE_COPY_TO_VRAM{{System::GFX, "Hacks", "DisableCopyToVRAM"},
                                                      false};
+const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_DEFER_EFB_COPIES{{System::GFX, "Hacks", "DeferEFBCopies"}, true};
 const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_IMMEDIATE_XFB{{System::GFX, "Hacks", "ImmediateXFBEnable"}, false};
 const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_COPY_EFB_SCALED{{System::GFX, "Hacks", "EFBScaledCopy"}, true};
 const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_EFB_EMULATE_FORMAT_CHANGES{
diff --git a/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.h b/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.h
index 3e87298f85..73edbe8cf4 100644
--- a/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.h
+++ b/Source/Core/Core/Config/GraphicsSettings.h
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@ extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_FORCE_PROGRESSIVE;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_SKIP_EFB_COPY_TO_RAM;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_SKIP_XFB_COPY_TO_RAM;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_DISABLE_COPY_TO_VRAM;
+extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_DEFER_EFB_COPIES;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_IMMEDIATE_XFB;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_COPY_EFB_SCALED;
 extern const ConfigInfo<bool> GFX_HACK_EFB_EMULATE_FORMAT_CHANGES;
diff --git a/Source/Core/Core/ConfigLoaders/IsSettingSaveable.cpp b/Source/Core/Core/ConfigLoaders/IsSettingSaveable.cpp
index 86098a9557..c3345bad24 100644
--- a/Source/Core/Core/ConfigLoaders/IsSettingSaveable.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/Core/ConfigLoaders/IsSettingSaveable.cpp
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ bool IsSettingSaveable(const Config::ConfigLocation& config_location)
       Config::GFX_HACK_SKIP_EFB_COPY_TO_RAM.location,
       Config::GFX_HACK_SKIP_XFB_COPY_TO_RAM.location,
       Config::GFX_HACK_DISABLE_COPY_TO_VRAM.location,
+      Config::GFX_HACK_DEFER_EFB_COPIES.location,
       Config::GFX_HACK_IMMEDIATE_XFB.location,
       Config::GFX_HACK_COPY_EFB_SCALED.location,
       Config::GFX_HACK_EFB_EMULATE_FORMAT_CHANGES.location,
diff --git a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.cpp b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.cpp
index 6d6609c741..9342c3cc00 100644
--- a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.cpp
@@ -46,10 +46,13 @@ void HacksWidget::CreateWidgets()
                                              Config::GFX_HACK_EFB_EMULATE_FORMAT_CHANGES, true);
   m_store_efb_copies = new GraphicsBool(tr("Store EFB Copies to Texture Only"),
                                         Config::GFX_HACK_SKIP_EFB_COPY_TO_RAM);
+  m_defer_efb_copies =
+      new GraphicsBool(tr("Defer EFB Copies to RAM"), Config::GFX_HACK_DEFER_EFB_COPIES);
 
   efb_layout->addWidget(m_skip_efb_cpu, 0, 0);
   efb_layout->addWidget(m_ignore_format_changes, 0, 1);
   efb_layout->addWidget(m_store_efb_copies, 1, 0);
+  efb_layout->addWidget(m_defer_efb_copies, 1, 1);
 
   // Texture Cache
   auto* texture_cache_box = new QGroupBox(tr("Texture Cache"));
@@ -109,6 +112,8 @@ void HacksWidget::CreateWidgets()
   main_layout->addStretch();
 
   setLayout(main_layout);
+
+  UpdateDeferEFBCopiesEnabled();
 }
 
 void HacksWidget::OnBackendChanged(const QString& backend_name)
@@ -129,6 +134,10 @@ void HacksWidget::OnBackendChanged(const QString& backend_name)
 void HacksWidget::ConnectWidgets()
 {
   connect(m_accuracy, &QSlider::valueChanged, [this](int) { SaveSettings(); });
+  connect(m_store_efb_copies, &QCheckBox::stateChanged,
+          [this](int) { UpdateDeferEFBCopiesEnabled(); });
+  connect(m_store_xfb_copies, &QCheckBox::stateChanged,
+          [this](int) { UpdateDeferEFBCopiesEnabled(); });
 }
 
 void HacksWidget::LoadSettings()
@@ -202,6 +211,11 @@ void HacksWidget::AddDescriptions()
       "in a small number of games.\n\nEnabled = EFB Copies to Texture\nDisabled = EFB Copies to "
       "RAM "
       "(and Texture)\n\nIf unsure, leave this checked.");
+  static const char TR_DEFER_EFB_COPIES_DESCRIPTION[] = QT_TR_NOOP(
+      "Waits until the game synchronizes with the emulated GPU before writing the contents of EFB "
+      "copies to RAM. Reduces the overhead of EFB RAM copies, provides a performance boost in many "
+      "games, at the risk of breaking those which do not safely synchronize with the emulated "
+      "GPU.\n\nIf unsure, leave this checked.");
   static const char TR_ACCUARCY_DESCRIPTION[] = QT_TR_NOOP(
       "The \"Safe\" setting eliminates the likelihood of the GPU missing texture updates "
       "from RAM.\nLower accuracies cause in-game text to appear garbled in certain "
@@ -240,6 +254,7 @@ void HacksWidget::AddDescriptions()
   AddDescription(m_skip_efb_cpu, TR_SKIP_EFB_CPU_ACCESS_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_ignore_format_changes, TR_IGNORE_FORMAT_CHANGE_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_store_efb_copies, TR_STORE_EFB_TO_TEXTURE_DESCRIPTION);
+  AddDescription(m_defer_efb_copies, TR_DEFER_EFB_COPIES_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_accuracy, TR_ACCUARCY_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_store_xfb_copies, TR_STORE_XFB_TO_TEXTURE_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_immediate_xfb, TR_IMMEDIATE_XFB_DESCRIPTION);
@@ -248,3 +263,11 @@ void HacksWidget::AddDescriptions()
   AddDescription(m_disable_bounding_box, TR_DISABLE_BOUNDINGBOX_DESCRIPTION);
   AddDescription(m_vertex_rounding, TR_VERTEX_ROUNDING_DESCRIPTION);
 }
+
+void HacksWidget::UpdateDeferEFBCopiesEnabled()
+{
+  // We disable the checkbox for defer EFB copies when both EFB and XFB copies to texture are
+  // enabled.
+  const bool can_defer = m_store_efb_copies->isChecked() && m_store_xfb_copies->isChecked();
+  m_defer_efb_copies->setEnabled(!can_defer);
+}
diff --git a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.h b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.h
index 937c92d064..47de3c0287 100644
--- a/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.h
+++ b/Source/Core/DolphinQt/Config/Graphics/HacksWidget.h
@@ -42,8 +42,11 @@ private:
   QCheckBox* m_fast_depth_calculation;
   QCheckBox* m_disable_bounding_box;
   QCheckBox* m_vertex_rounding;
+  QCheckBox* m_defer_efb_copies;
 
   void CreateWidgets();
   void ConnectWidgets();
   void AddDescriptions();
+
+  void UpdateDeferEFBCopiesEnabled();
 };
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.cpp
index 7c6dbd4411..231f317488 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.cpp
@@ -46,13 +46,8 @@ PSTextureEncoder::~PSTextureEncoder() = default;
 
 void PSTextureEncoder::Init()
 {
-  // TODO: Move this to a constant somewhere in common.
-  TextureConfig encoding_texture_config(EFB_WIDTH * 4, 1024, 1, 1, 1, AbstractTextureFormat::BGRA8,
-                                        true);
-  m_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(encoding_texture_config);
-  m_encoding_readback_texture =
-      g_renderer->CreateStagingTexture(StagingTextureType::Readback, encoding_texture_config);
-  ASSERT(m_encoding_render_texture && m_encoding_readback_texture);
+  m_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(TextureCache::GetEncodingTextureConfig());
+  ASSERT(m_encoding_render_texture);
 
   // Create constant buffer for uploading data to shaders
   D3D11_BUFFER_DESC bd = CD3D11_BUFFER_DESC(sizeof(EFBEncodeParams), D3D11_BIND_CONSTANT_BUFFER);
@@ -71,9 +66,9 @@ void PSTextureEncoder::Shutdown()
 }
 
 void PSTextureEncoder::Encode(
-    u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y,
-    u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma,
-    bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
+    AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
+    u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
+    float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
     const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
 {
   // Resolve MSAA targets before copying.
@@ -133,14 +128,7 @@ void PSTextureEncoder::Encode(
 
     // Copy to staging buffer
     MathUtil::Rectangle<int> copy_rect(0, 0, words_per_row, num_blocks_y);
-    m_encoding_readback_texture->CopyFromTexture(m_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0,
-                                                 copy_rect);
-    m_encoding_readback_texture->Flush();
-    if (m_encoding_readback_texture->Map())
-    {
-      m_encoding_readback_texture->ReadTexels(copy_rect, dst, memory_stride);
-      m_encoding_readback_texture->Unmap();
-    }
+    dst->CopyFromTexture(m_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0, copy_rect);
   }
 
   g_renderer->RestoreAPIState();
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.h
index 4054b07fbf..43f153c4cf 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/PSTextureEncoder.h
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ public:
 
   void Init();
   void Shutdown();
-  void Encode(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-              u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
-              float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
+  void Encode(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+              u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+              bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
               const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients);
 
 private:
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ private:
 
   ID3D11Buffer* m_encode_params = nullptr;
   std::unique_ptr<AbstractTexture> m_encoding_render_texture;
-  std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> m_encoding_readback_texture;
   std::map<EFBCopyParams, ID3D11PixelShader*> m_encoding_shaders;
 };
 }
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.cpp
index 41ad435817..f17d12f4c3 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.cpp
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ namespace DX11
 {
 static std::unique_ptr<PSTextureEncoder> g_encoder;
 
-void TextureCache::CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
-                           u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+void TextureCache::CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+                           u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
                            const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale,
                            float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                            const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.h
index 24dda22d60..1bfa34c045 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/D3D/TextureCache.h
@@ -22,18 +22,11 @@ public:
   ~TextureCache();
 
 private:
-  u64 EncodeToRamFromTexture(u32 address, void* source_texture, u32 SourceW, u32 SourceH,
-                             bool bFromZBuffer, bool bIsIntensityFmt, u32 copyfmt, int bScaleByHalf,
-                             const EFBRectangle& source)
-  {
-    return 0;
-  };
-
   void ConvertTexture(TCacheEntry* destination, TCacheEntry* source, const void* palette,
                       TLUTFormat format) override;
 
-  void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-               u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+  void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+               u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
                bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) override;
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Null/TextureCache.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Null/TextureCache.h
index 25803344a4..648871f626 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Null/TextureCache.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Null/TextureCache.h
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ public:
   {
   }
 
-  void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-               u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+  void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+               u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
                bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) override
   {
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.cpp
index 10f191448e..4fbbb39935 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.cpp
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ void main()
 
 //#define TIME_TEXTURE_DECODING 1
 
-void TextureCache::CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
-                           u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+void TextureCache::CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+                           u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
                            const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale,
                            float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                            const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.h
index 54dc4afef8..89fc82ee9d 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureCache.h
@@ -63,8 +63,8 @@ private:
   void ConvertTexture(TCacheEntry* destination, TCacheEntry* source, const void* palette,
                       TLUTFormat format) override;
 
-  void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-               u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+  void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+               u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
                bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) override;
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.cpp
index 699e988196..095365140f 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ struct EncodingProgram
 
 std::map<EFBCopyParams, EncodingProgram> s_encoding_programs;
 std::unique_ptr<AbstractTexture> s_encoding_render_texture;
-std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> s_encoding_readback_texture;
 
 const int renderBufferWidth = EFB_WIDTH * 4;
 const int renderBufferHeight = 1024;
@@ -93,16 +92,11 @@ static EncodingProgram& GetOrCreateEncodingShader(const EFBCopyParams& params)
 
 void Init()
 {
-  TextureConfig config(renderBufferWidth, renderBufferHeight, 1, 1, 1, AbstractTextureFormat::BGRA8,
-                       true);
-  s_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(config);
-  s_encoding_readback_texture =
-      g_renderer->CreateStagingTexture(StagingTextureType::Readback, config);
+  s_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(TextureCache::GetEncodingTextureConfig());
 }
 
 void Shutdown()
 {
-  s_encoding_readback_texture.reset();
   s_encoding_render_texture.reset();
 
   for (auto& program : s_encoding_programs)
@@ -112,8 +106,9 @@ void Shutdown()
 
 // dst_line_size, writeStride in bytes
 
-static void EncodeToRamUsingShader(GLuint srcTexture, u8* destAddr, u32 dst_line_size,
-                                   u32 dstHeight, u32 writeStride, bool linearFilter, float y_scale)
+static void EncodeToRamUsingShader(GLuint srcTexture, AbstractStagingTexture* destAddr,
+                                   u32 dst_line_size, u32 dstHeight, u32 writeStride,
+                                   bool linearFilter, float y_scale)
 {
   FramebufferManager::SetFramebuffer(
       static_cast<OGLTexture*>(s_encoding_render_texture.get())->GetFramebuffer());
@@ -137,15 +132,14 @@ static void EncodeToRamUsingShader(GLuint srcTexture, u8* destAddr, u32 dst_line
   glDrawArrays(GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP, 0, 4);
 
   MathUtil::Rectangle<int> copy_rect(0, 0, dst_line_size / 4, dstHeight);
-  s_encoding_readback_texture->CopyFromTexture(s_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0,
-                                               copy_rect);
-  s_encoding_readback_texture->ReadTexels(copy_rect, destAddr, writeStride);
+
+  destAddr->CopyFromTexture(s_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0, copy_rect);
 }
 
-void EncodeToRamFromTexture(u8* dest_ptr, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
-                            u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
-                            const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale,
-                            float gamma, float clamp_top, float clamp_bottom,
+void EncodeToRamFromTexture(AbstractStagingTexture* dest, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+                            u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y,
+                            u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
+                            float y_scale, float gamma, float clamp_top, float clamp_bottom,
                             const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
 {
   g_renderer->ResetAPIState();
@@ -165,7 +159,7 @@ void EncodeToRamFromTexture(u8* dest_ptr, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 nativ
                                   FramebufferManager::ResolveAndGetDepthTarget(src_rect) :
                                   FramebufferManager::ResolveAndGetRenderTarget(src_rect);
 
-  EncodeToRamUsingShader(read_texture, dest_ptr, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, memory_stride,
+  EncodeToRamUsingShader(read_texture, dest, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, memory_stride,
                          scale_by_half && !params.depth, y_scale);
 
   g_renderer->RestoreAPIState();
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.h
index 0d7450e4b6..575fbf5bd0 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/OGL/TextureConverter.h
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 #include "VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/VideoCommon.h"
 
+struct EFBCopyParams;
+class AbstractStagingTexture;
+
 namespace OGL
 {
 // Converts textures between formats using shaders
@@ -21,7 +24,7 @@ void Shutdown();
 
 // returns size of the encoded data (in bytes)
 void EncodeToRamFromTexture(
-    u8* dest_ptr, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
+    AbstractStagingTexture* dest, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
     u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
     float y_scale, float gamma, float clamp_top, float clamp_bottom,
     const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients);
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/SWTexture.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/SWTexture.h
index 5c403f54ba..f9d5c50485 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/SWTexture.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/SWTexture.h
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ public:
   void Unmap() override;
   void Flush() override;
 
+  void SetMapStride(size_t stride) { m_map_stride = stride; }
+
 private:
   std::vector<u8> m_data;
 };
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureCache.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureCache.h
index f3d9c91938..06bfbf73fa 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureCache.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureCache.h
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ public:
                       TLUTFormat format) override
   {
   }
-  void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-               u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+  void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+               u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
                bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) override
   {
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.cpp
index a31888e544..07eba31530 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.cpp
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@
 #include "VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.h"
 
 #include "Common/Align.h"
+#include "Common/Assert.h"
 #include "Common/CommonFuncs.h"
 #include "Common/CommonTypes.h"
 #include "Common/MsgHandler.h"
 #include "Common/Swap.h"
 
 #include "VideoBackends/Software/EfbInterface.h"
+#include "VideoBackends/Software/SWTexture.h"
 
 #include "VideoCommon/BPMemory.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/LookUpTables.h"
@@ -1468,18 +1470,26 @@ void EncodeEfbCopy(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 b
 }
 }
 
-void Encode(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-            u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
-            float y_scale, float gamma)
+void Encode(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+            u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+            bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma)
 {
+  // HACK: Override the memory stride for this staging texture with new copy stride.
+  // This is required because the texture encoder assumes that we're writing directly to memory,
+  // and each row is tightly packed with no padding, whereas our encoding abstract texture has
+  // a width of 2560. When we copy the texture back later on, it'll use the tightly packed stride.
+  ASSERT(memory_stride <= (dst->GetConfig().width * dst->GetTexelSize()));
+  static_cast<SW::SWStagingTexture*>(dst)->SetMapStride(memory_stride);
+
   if (params.copy_format == EFBCopyFormat::XFB)
   {
-    EfbInterface::EncodeXFB(dst, native_width, src_rect, y_scale, gamma);
+    EfbInterface::EncodeXFB(reinterpret_cast<u8*>(dst->GetMappedPointer()), native_width, src_rect,
+                            y_scale, gamma);
   }
   else
   {
-    EncodeEfbCopy(dst, params, native_width, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, memory_stride, src_rect,
-                  scale_by_half);
+    EncodeEfbCopy(reinterpret_cast<u8*>(dst->GetMappedPointer()), params, native_width,
+                  bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, memory_stride, src_rect, scale_by_half);
   }
 }
 }
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.h
index 20aa05605a..705fa2e81b 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Software/TextureEncoder.h
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 namespace TextureEncoder
 {
-void Encode(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-            u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half,
-            float y_scale, float gamma);
+void Encode(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+            u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+            bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma);
 }
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/FramebufferManager.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/FramebufferManager.cpp
index 27eeeb58ba..cd1fbd9c82 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/FramebufferManager.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/FramebufferManager.cpp
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ bool FramebufferManager::PopulateColorReadbackTexture()
 {
   // Can't be in our normal render pass.
   StateTracker::GetInstance()->EndRenderPass();
-  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnReadback();
+  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnCPUEFBAccess();
 
   // Issue a copy from framebuffer -> copy texture if we have >1xIR or MSAA on.
   VkRect2D src_region = {{0, 0}, {GetEFBWidth(), GetEFBHeight()}};
@@ -684,7 +684,7 @@ bool FramebufferManager::PopulateDepthReadbackTexture()
 {
   // Can't be in our normal render pass.
   StateTracker::GetInstance()->EndRenderPass();
-  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnReadback();
+  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnCPUEFBAccess();
 
   // Issue a copy from framebuffer -> copy texture if we have >1xIR or MSAA on.
   VkRect2D src_region = {{0, 0}, {GetEFBWidth(), GetEFBHeight()}};
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.cpp
index 38a91c61ad..f3b2752ddd 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.cpp
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ void StateTracker::OnDraw()
   }
 }
 
-void StateTracker::OnReadback()
+void StateTracker::OnCPUEFBAccess()
 {
   // Check this isn't another access without any draws inbetween.
   if (!m_cpu_accesses_this_frame.empty() && m_cpu_accesses_this_frame.back() == m_draw_counter)
@@ -523,9 +523,28 @@ void StateTracker::OnReadback()
   m_cpu_accesses_this_frame.emplace_back(m_draw_counter);
 }
 
+void StateTracker::OnEFBCopyToRAM()
+{
+  // If we're not deferring, try to preempt it next frame.
+  if (!g_ActiveConfig.bDeferEFBCopies)
+  {
+    OnCPUEFBAccess();
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Otherwise, only execute if we have at least 10 objects between us and the last copy.
+  const u32 diff = m_draw_counter - m_last_efb_copy_draw_counter;
+  m_last_efb_copy_draw_counter = m_draw_counter;
+  if (diff < MINIMUM_DRAW_CALLS_PER_COMMAND_BUFFER_FOR_READBACK)
+    return;
+
+  Util::ExecuteCurrentCommandsAndRestoreState(true);
+}
+
 void StateTracker::OnEndFrame()
 {
   m_draw_counter = 0;
+  m_last_efb_copy_draw_counter = 0;
   m_scheduled_command_buffer_kicks.clear();
 
   // If we have no CPU access at all, leave everything in the one command buffer for maximum
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.h
index 547c62f655..895e139756 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/StateTracker.h
@@ -86,8 +86,10 @@ public:
   void OnDraw();
 
   // Call after CPU access is requested.
-  // This can be via EFBCache or EFB2RAM.
-  void OnReadback();
+  void OnCPUEFBAccess();
+
+  // Call after an EFB copy to RAM. If true, the current command buffer should be executed.
+  void OnEFBCopyToRAM();
 
   // Call at the end of a frame.
   void OnEndFrame();
@@ -182,6 +184,7 @@ private:
 
   // CPU access tracking
   u32 m_draw_counter = 0;
+  u32 m_last_efb_copy_draw_counter = 0;
   std::vector<u32> m_cpu_accesses_this_frame;
   std::vector<u32> m_scheduled_command_buffer_kicks;
   bool m_allow_background_execution = true;
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.cpp
index 334b3f9b1a..e9b92ba1e1 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.cpp
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ void TextureCache::ConvertTexture(TCacheEntry* destination, TCacheEntry* source,
                            VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_SHADER_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL);
 }
 
-void TextureCache::CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
-                           u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+void TextureCache::CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+                           u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
                            const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale,
                            float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                            const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ void TextureCache::CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_widt
   // The barrier has to happen after the render pass, not inside it, as we are going to be
   // reading from the texture immediately afterwards.
   StateTracker::GetInstance()->EndRenderPass();
-  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnReadback();
 
   // Transition to shader resource before reading.
   VkImageLayout original_layout = src_texture->GetLayout();
@@ -139,6 +138,8 @@ void TextureCache::CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_widt
 
   // Transition back to original state
   src_texture->TransitionToLayout(g_command_buffer_mgr->GetCurrentCommandBuffer(), original_layout);
+
+  StateTracker::GetInstance()->OnEFBCopyToRAM();
 }
 
 bool TextureCache::SupportsGPUTextureDecode(TextureFormat format, TLUTFormat palette_format)
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.h
index 846761d1d5..fd6b57981a 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureCache.h
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ public:
   void ConvertTexture(TCacheEntry* destination, TCacheEntry* source, const void* palette,
                       TLUTFormat format) override;
 
-  void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-               u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
+  void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+               u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
                bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) override;
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.cpp
index da40b08667..c5acdc8e7f 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.cpp
@@ -207,10 +207,10 @@ void TextureConverter::ConvertTexture(TextureCacheBase::TCacheEntry* dst_entry,
 }
 
 void TextureConverter::EncodeTextureToMemory(
-    VkImageView src_texture, u8* dest_ptr, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
-    u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
-    bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
-    const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
+    VkImageView src_texture, AbstractStagingTexture* dest, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+    u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+    const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top,
+    bool clamp_bottom, const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients)
 {
   VkShaderModule shader = GetEncodingShader(params);
   if (shader == VK_NULL_HANDLE)
@@ -273,9 +273,7 @@ void TextureConverter::EncodeTextureToMemory(
   draw.EndRenderPass();
 
   MathUtil::Rectangle<int> copy_rect(0, 0, render_width, render_height);
-  m_encoding_readback_texture->CopyFromTexture(m_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0,
-                                               copy_rect);
-  m_encoding_readback_texture->ReadTexels(copy_rect, dest_ptr, memory_stride);
+  dest->CopyFromTexture(m_encoding_render_texture.get(), copy_rect, 0, 0, copy_rect);
 }
 
 bool TextureConverter::SupportsTextureDecoding(TextureFormat format, TLUTFormat palette_format)
@@ -610,14 +608,8 @@ VkShaderModule TextureConverter::GetEncodingShader(const EFBCopyParams& params)
 
 bool TextureConverter::CreateEncodingTexture()
 {
-  TextureConfig config(ENCODING_TEXTURE_WIDTH, ENCODING_TEXTURE_HEIGHT, 1, 1, 1,
-                       ENCODING_TEXTURE_FORMAT, true);
-
-  m_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(config);
-  m_encoding_readback_texture =
-      g_renderer->CreateStagingTexture(StagingTextureType::Readback, config);
-
-  return m_encoding_render_texture && m_encoding_readback_texture;
+  m_encoding_render_texture = g_renderer->CreateTexture(TextureCache::GetEncodingTextureConfig());
+  return m_encoding_render_texture != nullptr;
 }
 
 bool TextureConverter::CreateDecodingTexture()
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.h b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.h
index f85efc4d5c..9c035296b2 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/TextureConverter.h
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ class AbstractStagingTexture;
 
 namespace Vulkan
 {
-class StagingTexture2D;
 class Texture2D;
 class VKTexture;
 
@@ -38,14 +37,12 @@ public:
                       TextureCache::TCacheEntry* src_entry, const void* palette,
                       TLUTFormat palette_format);
 
-  // Uses an encoding shader to copy src_texture to dest_ptr.
-  // NOTE: Executes the current command buffer.
-  void
-  EncodeTextureToMemory(VkImageView src_texture, u8* dest_ptr, const EFBCopyParams& params,
-                        u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
-                        const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale,
-                        float gamma, bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
-                        const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients);
+  // Uses an encoding shader to copy src_texture to dest.
+  void EncodeTextureToMemory(
+      VkImageView src_texture, AbstractStagingTexture* dest, const EFBCopyParams& params,
+      u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+      const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top,
+      bool clamp_bottom, const TextureCacheBase::CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients);
 
   bool SupportsTextureDecoding(TextureFormat format, TLUTFormat palette_format);
   void DecodeTexture(VkCommandBuffer command_buffer, TextureCache::TCacheEntry* entry,
@@ -54,9 +51,6 @@ public:
                      const u8* palette, TLUTFormat palette_format);
 
 private:
-  static const u32 ENCODING_TEXTURE_WIDTH = EFB_WIDTH * 4;
-  static const u32 ENCODING_TEXTURE_HEIGHT = 1024;
-  static const AbstractTextureFormat ENCODING_TEXTURE_FORMAT = AbstractTextureFormat::BGRA8;
   static const size_t NUM_PALETTE_CONVERSION_SHADERS = 3;
 
   // Maximum size of a texture based on BP registers.
@@ -100,7 +94,6 @@ private:
   // Texture encoding - RGBA8->GX format in memory
   std::map<EFBCopyParams, VkShaderModule> m_encoding_shaders;
   std::unique_ptr<AbstractTexture> m_encoding_render_texture;
-  std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> m_encoding_readback_texture;
 
   // Texture decoding - GX format in memory->RGBA8
   struct TextureDecodingPipeline
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/VKTexture.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/VKTexture.cpp
index b3c111d5a2..63b88195c0 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/VKTexture.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoBackends/Vulkan/VKTexture.cpp
@@ -466,6 +466,7 @@ void VKStagingTexture::CopyFromTexture(Texture2D* src, const MathUtil::Rectangle
                                                 m_needs_flush = false;
                                                 g_command_buffer_mgr->RemoveFencePointCallback(
                                                     this);
+                                                m_staging_buffer->InvalidateCPUCache();
                                               });
 }
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/BPStructs.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/BPStructs.cpp
index eb43f70af5..7712421f57 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/BPStructs.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/BPStructs.cpp
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ static void BPWritten(const BPCmd& bp)
     switch (bp.newvalue & 0xFF)
     {
     case 0x02:
+      g_texture_cache->FlushEFBCopies();
       if (!Fifo::UseDeterministicGPUThread())
         PixelEngine::SetFinish();  // may generate interrupt
       DEBUG_LOG(VIDEO, "GXSetDrawDone SetPEFinish (value: 0x%02X)", (bp.newvalue & 0xFFFF));
@@ -188,11 +189,13 @@ static void BPWritten(const BPCmd& bp)
     }
     return;
   case BPMEM_PE_TOKEN_ID:  // Pixel Engine Token ID
+    g_texture_cache->FlushEFBCopies();
     if (!Fifo::UseDeterministicGPUThread())
       PixelEngine::SetToken(static_cast<u16>(bp.newvalue & 0xFFFF), false);
     DEBUG_LOG(VIDEO, "SetPEToken 0x%04x", (bp.newvalue & 0xFFFF));
     return;
   case BPMEM_PE_TOKEN_INT_ID:  // Pixel Engine Interrupt Token ID
+    g_texture_cache->FlushEFBCopies();
     if (!Fifo::UseDeterministicGPUThread())
       PixelEngine::SetToken(static_cast<u16>(bp.newvalue & 0xFFFF), true);
     DEBUG_LOG(VIDEO, "SetPEToken + INT 0x%04x", (bp.newvalue & 0xFFFF));
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/RenderBase.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/RenderBase.cpp
index 70025ec720..448b195a62 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/RenderBase.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/RenderBase.cpp
@@ -724,6 +724,10 @@ void Renderer::Swap(u32 xfbAddr, u32 fbWidth, u32 fbStride, u32 fbHeight, const
       // state changes the specialized shader will not take over.
       g_vertex_manager->InvalidatePipelineObject();
 
+      // Flush any outstanding EFB copies to RAM, in case the game is running at an uncapped frame
+      // rate and not waiting for vblank. Otherwise, we'd end up with a huge list of pending copies.
+      g_texture_cache->FlushEFBCopies();
+
       Core::Callback_VideoCopiedToXFB(true);
     }
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.cpp
index f40fdfda4a..74d1d8a51e 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "Core/FifoPlayer/FifoRecorder.h"
 #include "Core/HW/Memmap.h"
 
+#include "VideoCommon/AbstractStagingTexture.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/BPMemory.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/Debugger.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/FramebufferManagerBase.h"
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ TextureCacheBase::TextureCacheBase()
 
 void TextureCacheBase::Invalidate()
 {
+  FlushEFBCopies();
   InvalidateAllBindPoints();
   for (size_t i = 0; i < bound_textures.size(); ++i)
   {
@@ -1693,35 +1695,6 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
   const u32 bytes_per_row = num_blocks_x * bytes_per_block;
   const u32 covered_range = num_blocks_y * dstStride;
 
-  if (copy_to_ram)
-  {
-    CopyFilterCoefficientArray coefficients = GetRAMCopyFilterCoefficients(filter_coefficients);
-    PEControl::PixelFormat srcFormat = bpmem.zcontrol.pixel_format;
-    EFBCopyParams format(srcFormat, dstFormat, is_depth_copy, isIntensity,
-                         NeedsCopyFilterInShader(coefficients));
-    CopyEFB(dst, format, tex_w, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, dstStride, srcRect, scaleByHalf,
-            y_scale, gamma, clamp_top, clamp_bottom, coefficients);
-  }
-  else
-  {
-    if (is_xfb_copy)
-    {
-      UninitializeXFBMemory(dst, dstStride, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y);
-    }
-    else
-    {
-      // Hack: Most games don't actually need the correct texture data in RAM
-      //       and we can just keep a copy in VRAM. We zero the memory so we
-      //       can check it hasn't changed before using our copy in VRAM.
-      u8* ptr = dst;
-      for (u32 i = 0; i < num_blocks_y; i++)
-      {
-        memset(ptr, 0, bytes_per_row);
-        ptr += dstStride;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
   if (g_bRecordFifoData)
   {
     // Mark the memory behind this efb copy as dynamicly generated for the Fifo log
@@ -1775,7 +1748,9 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
           (!strided_efb_copy && entry->size_in_bytes == overlap_range) ||
           (strided_efb_copy && entry->size_in_bytes == overlap_range && entry->addr == dstAddr))
       {
-        iter.first = InvalidateTexture(iter.first);
+        // Pending EFB copies which are completely covered by this new copy can simply be tossed,
+        // instead of having to flush them later on, since this copy will write over everything.
+        iter.first = InvalidateTexture(iter.first, true);
         continue;
       }
       entry->may_have_overlapping_textures = true;
@@ -1804,6 +1779,7 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
     ++iter.first;
   }
 
+  TCacheEntry* entry = nullptr;
   if (copy_to_vram)
   {
     // create the texture
@@ -1813,8 +1789,7 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
     config.height = scaled_tex_h;
     config.layers = FramebufferManagerBase::GetEFBLayers();
 
-    TCacheEntry* entry = AllocateCacheEntry(config);
-
+    entry = AllocateCacheEntry(config);
     if (entry)
     {
       entry->SetGeneralParameters(dstAddr, 0, baseFormat, is_xfb_copy);
@@ -1836,9 +1811,6 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
                           clamp_top, clamp_bottom,
                           GetVRAMCopyFilterCoefficients(filter_coefficients));
 
-      u64 hash = entry->CalculateHash();
-      entry->SetHashes(hash, hash);
-
       if (g_ActiveConfig.bDumpEFBTarget && !is_xfb_copy)
       {
         static int efb_count = 0;
@@ -1860,6 +1832,134 @@ void TextureCacheBase::CopyRenderTargetToTexture(
       textures_by_address.emplace(dstAddr, entry);
     }
   }
+
+  if (copy_to_ram)
+  {
+    CopyFilterCoefficientArray coefficients = GetRAMCopyFilterCoefficients(filter_coefficients);
+    PEControl::PixelFormat srcFormat = bpmem.zcontrol.pixel_format;
+    EFBCopyParams format(srcFormat, dstFormat, is_depth_copy, isIntensity,
+                         NeedsCopyFilterInShader(coefficients));
+
+    std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> staging_texture = GetEFBCopyStagingTexture();
+    if (staging_texture)
+    {
+      CopyEFB(staging_texture.get(), format, tex_w, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y, dstStride, srcRect,
+              scaleByHalf, y_scale, gamma, clamp_top, clamp_bottom, coefficients);
+
+      // We can't defer if there is no VRAM copy (since we need to update the hash).
+      if (!copy_to_vram || !g_ActiveConfig.bDeferEFBCopies)
+      {
+        // Immediately flush it.
+        WriteEFBCopyToRAM(dst, bytes_per_row / sizeof(u32), num_blocks_y, dstStride,
+                          std::move(staging_texture));
+      }
+      else
+      {
+        // Defer the flush until later.
+        entry->pending_efb_copy = std::move(staging_texture);
+        entry->pending_efb_copy_width = bytes_per_row / sizeof(u32);
+        entry->pending_efb_copy_height = num_blocks_y;
+        entry->pending_efb_copy_invalidated = false;
+        m_pending_efb_copies.push_back(entry);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    if (is_xfb_copy)
+    {
+      UninitializeXFBMemory(dst, dstStride, bytes_per_row, num_blocks_y);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      // Hack: Most games don't actually need the correct texture data in RAM
+      //       and we can just keep a copy in VRAM. We zero the memory so we
+      //       can check it hasn't changed before using our copy in VRAM.
+      u8* ptr = dst;
+      for (u32 i = 0; i < num_blocks_y; i++)
+      {
+        std::memset(ptr, 0, bytes_per_row);
+        ptr += dstStride;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Even if the copy is deferred, still compute the hash. This way if the copy is used as a texture
+  // in a subsequent draw before it is flushed, it will have the same hash.
+  if (entry)
+  {
+    const u64 hash = entry->CalculateHash();
+    entry->SetHashes(hash, hash);
+  }
+}
+
+void TextureCacheBase::FlushEFBCopies()
+{
+  if (m_pending_efb_copies.empty())
+    return;
+
+  for (TCacheEntry* entry : m_pending_efb_copies)
+    FlushEFBCopy(entry);
+  m_pending_efb_copies.clear();
+}
+
+TextureConfig TextureCacheBase::GetEncodingTextureConfig()
+{
+  return TextureConfig(EFB_WIDTH * 4, 1024, 1, 1, 1, AbstractTextureFormat::BGRA8, true);
+}
+
+void TextureCacheBase::WriteEFBCopyToRAM(u8* dst_ptr, u32 width, u32 height, u32 stride,
+                                         std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> staging_texture)
+{
+  MathUtil::Rectangle<int> copy_rect(0, 0, static_cast<int>(width), static_cast<int>(height));
+  staging_texture->ReadTexels(copy_rect, dst_ptr, stride);
+  ReleaseEFBCopyStagingTexture(std::move(staging_texture));
+}
+
+void TextureCacheBase::FlushEFBCopy(TCacheEntry* entry)
+{
+  // Copy from texture -> guest memory.
+  u8* const dst = Memory::GetPointer(entry->addr);
+  WriteEFBCopyToRAM(dst, entry->pending_efb_copy_width, entry->pending_efb_copy_height,
+                    entry->memory_stride, std::move(entry->pending_efb_copy));
+
+  // If the EFB copy was invalidated (e.g. the bloom case mentioned in InvalidateTexture),
+  // now is the time to clean up the TCacheEntry. In which case, we don't need to compute
+  // the new hash of the RAM copy.
+  if (entry->pending_efb_copy_invalidated)
+  {
+    auto config = entry->texture->GetConfig();
+    texture_pool.emplace(config, TexPoolEntry(std::move(entry->texture)));
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Re-hash the texture now that the guest memory is populated.
+  // This should be safe because we'll catch any writes before the game can modify it.
+  const u64 hash = entry->CalculateHash();
+  entry->SetHashes(hash, hash);
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> TextureCacheBase::GetEFBCopyStagingTexture()
+{
+  // Pull off the back first to re-use the most frequently used textures.
+  if (!m_efb_copy_staging_texture_pool.empty())
+  {
+    auto ptr = std::move(m_efb_copy_staging_texture_pool.back());
+    m_efb_copy_staging_texture_pool.pop_back();
+    return ptr;
+  }
+
+  std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> tex =
+      g_renderer->CreateStagingTexture(StagingTextureType::Readback, GetEncodingTextureConfig());
+  if (!tex)
+    WARN_LOG(VIDEO, "Failed to create EFB copy staging texture");
+
+  return tex;
+}
+
+void TextureCacheBase::ReleaseEFBCopyStagingTexture(std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> tex)
+{
+  m_efb_copy_staging_texture_pool.push_back(std::move(tex));
 }
 
 void TextureCacheBase::UninitializeXFBMemory(u8* dst, u32 stride, u32 bytes_per_row,
@@ -1989,7 +2089,7 @@ TextureCacheBase::FindOverlappingTextures(u32 addr, u32 size_in_bytes)
 }
 
 TextureCacheBase::TexAddrCache::iterator
-TextureCacheBase::InvalidateTexture(TexAddrCache::iterator iter)
+TextureCacheBase::InvalidateTexture(TexAddrCache::iterator iter, bool discard_pending_efb_copy)
 {
   if (iter == textures_by_address.end())
     return textures_by_address.end();
@@ -2014,6 +2114,33 @@ TextureCacheBase::InvalidateTexture(TexAddrCache::iterator iter)
     }
   }
 
+  // If this is a pending EFB copy, we don't want to flush it here.
+  // Why? Because let's say a game is rendering a bloom-type effect, using EFB copies to essentially
+  // downscale the framebuffer. Copy from EFB->Texture, draw texture to EFB, copy EFB->Texture,
+  // draw, repeat. The second copy will invalidate the first, forcing a flush. Which means we lose
+  // any benefit of EFB copy batching. So instead, let's just leave the EFB copy pending, but remove
+  // it from the texture cache. This way we don't use the old VRAM copy. When the EFB copies are
+  // eventually flushed, they will overwrite each other, and the end result should be the same.
+  if (entry->pending_efb_copy)
+  {
+    if (discard_pending_efb_copy)
+    {
+      // If the RAM copy is being completely overwritten by a new EFB copy, we can discard the
+      // existing pending copy, and not bother waiting for it in the future. This happens in
+      // Xenoblade's sunset scene, where 35 copies are done per frame, and 25 of them are
+      // copied to the same address, and can be skipped.
+      ReleaseEFBCopyStagingTexture(std::move(entry->pending_efb_copy));
+      auto pending_it = std::find(m_pending_efb_copies.begin(), m_pending_efb_copies.end(), entry);
+      if (pending_it != m_pending_efb_copies.end())
+        m_pending_efb_copies.erase(pending_it);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      entry->pending_efb_copy_invalidated = true;
+      return textures_by_address.erase(iter);
+    }
+  }
+
   auto config = entry->texture->GetConfig();
   texture_pool.emplace(config, TexPoolEntry(std::move(entry->texture)));
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.h b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.h
index 1c84662065..c797a9a4f0 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/TextureCacheBase.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #include <tuple>
 #include <unordered_map>
 #include <unordered_set>
+#include <vector>
 
 #include "Common/CommonTypes.h"
 #include "VideoCommon/AbstractTexture.h"
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "VideoCommon/VideoCommon.h"
 
 struct VideoConfig;
+class AbstractStagingTexture;
 
 struct TextureAndTLUTFormat
 {
@@ -149,6 +151,12 @@ public:
     //   * partially updated textures which refer to this efb copy
     std::unordered_set<TCacheEntry*> references;
 
+    // Pending EFB copy
+    std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> pending_efb_copy;
+    u32 pending_efb_copy_width = 0;
+    u32 pending_efb_copy_height = 0;
+    bool pending_efb_copy_invalidated = false;
+
     explicit TCacheEntry(std::unique_ptr<AbstractTexture> tex);
 
     ~TCacheEntry();
@@ -216,10 +224,10 @@ public:
 
   void Invalidate();
 
-  virtual void CopyEFB(u8* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width, u32 bytes_per_row,
-                       u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride, const EFBRectangle& src_rect,
-                       bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma, bool clamp_top,
-                       bool clamp_bottom,
+  virtual void CopyEFB(AbstractStagingTexture* dst, const EFBCopyParams& params, u32 native_width,
+                       u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y, u32 memory_stride,
+                       const EFBRectangle& src_rect, bool scale_by_half, float y_scale, float gamma,
+                       bool clamp_top, bool clamp_bottom,
                        const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) = 0;
 
   virtual bool CompileShaders() = 0;
@@ -278,6 +286,12 @@ public:
 
   void ScaleTextureCacheEntryTo(TCacheEntry* entry, u32 new_width, u32 new_height);
 
+  // Flushes all pending EFB copies to emulated RAM.
+  void FlushEFBCopies();
+
+  // Returns a texture config suitable for drawing a RAM EFB copy into.
+  static TextureConfig GetEncodingTextureConfig();
+
 protected:
   TextureCacheBase();
 
@@ -329,7 +343,8 @@ private:
                                    const CopyFilterCoefficientArray& filter_coefficients) = 0;
 
   // Removes and unlinks texture from texture cache and returns it to the pool
-  TexAddrCache::iterator InvalidateTexture(TexAddrCache::iterator t_iter);
+  TexAddrCache::iterator InvalidateTexture(TexAddrCache::iterator t_iter,
+                                           bool discard_pending_efb_copy = false);
 
   void UninitializeXFBMemory(u8* dst, u32 stride, u32 bytes_per_row, u32 num_blocks_y);
 
@@ -339,6 +354,17 @@ private:
   CopyFilterCoefficientArray
   GetVRAMCopyFilterCoefficients(const CopyFilterCoefficients::Values& coefficients) const;
 
+  // Flushes a pending EFB copy to RAM from the host to the guest RAM.
+  void WriteEFBCopyToRAM(u8* dst_ptr, u32 width, u32 height, u32 stride,
+                         std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> staging_texture);
+  void FlushEFBCopy(TCacheEntry* entry);
+
+  // Returns a staging texture of the maximum EFB copy size.
+  std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> GetEFBCopyStagingTexture();
+
+  // Returns an EFB copy staging texture to the pool, so it can be re-used.
+  void ReleaseEFBCopyStagingTexture(std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture> tex);
+
   TexAddrCache textures_by_address;
   TexHashCache textures_by_hash;
   TexPool texture_pool;
@@ -360,6 +386,13 @@ private:
     bool arbitrary_mipmap_detection;
   };
   BackupConfig backup_config = {};
+
+  // Pool of readback textures used for deferred EFB copies.
+  std::vector<std::unique_ptr<AbstractStagingTexture>> m_efb_copy_staging_texture_pool;
+
+  // List of pending EFB copies. It is important that the order is preserved for these,
+  // so that overlapping textures are written to guest RAM in the order they are issued.
+  std::vector<TCacheEntry*> m_pending_efb_copies;
 };
 
 extern std::unique_ptr<TextureCacheBase> g_texture_cache;
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.cpp b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.cpp
index 5fb5d843cc..b4da204fe4 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.cpp
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ void VideoConfig::Refresh()
   bSkipEFBCopyToRam = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_SKIP_EFB_COPY_TO_RAM);
   bSkipXFBCopyToRam = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_SKIP_XFB_COPY_TO_RAM);
   bDisableCopyToVRAM = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_DISABLE_COPY_TO_VRAM);
+  bDeferEFBCopies = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_DEFER_EFB_COPIES);
   bImmediateXFB = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_IMMEDIATE_XFB);
   bCopyEFBScaled = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_COPY_EFB_SCALED);
   bEFBEmulateFormatChanges = Config::Get(Config::GFX_HACK_EFB_EMULATE_FORMAT_CHANGES);
diff --git a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.h b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.h
index ec5563de74..054fc9680a 100644
--- a/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.h
+++ b/Source/Core/VideoCommon/VideoConfig.h
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ struct VideoConfig final
   bool bSkipEFBCopyToRam;
   bool bSkipXFBCopyToRam;
   bool bDisableCopyToVRAM;
+  bool bDeferEFBCopies;
   bool bImmediateXFB;
   bool bCopyEFBScaled;
   int iSafeTextureCache_ColorSamples;