diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_bo.c b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_bo.c
index fa63709e37c..78285108d5a 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_bo.c
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_bo.c
@@ -150,8 +150,7 @@ _fd_bo_set_name(struct fd_bo *bo, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
 struct fd_bo *
 fd_bo_new_ring(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size)
 {
-   uint32_t flags = FD_BO_GPUREADONLY | FD_BO_CACHED_COHERENT;
-   struct fd_bo *bo = bo_new(dev, size, flags, &dev->ring_cache);
+   struct fd_bo *bo = bo_new(dev, size, RING_FLAGS, &dev->ring_cache);
    if (bo) {
       bo->bo_reuse = RING_CACHE;
       bo->reloc_flags |= FD_RELOC_DUMP;
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_drmif.h b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_drmif.h
index 616b5b29d3a..d4dd3f64a05 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_drmif.h
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_drmif.h
@@ -108,8 +108,9 @@ struct fd_fence {
 /* Hint that the bo will be exported/shared: */
 #define FD_BO_SHARED              BITSET_BIT(5)
 
-/* backend private bo flags: */
+/* internal bo flags: */
 #define _FD_BO_VIRTIO_SHM         BITSET_BIT(6)
+#define _FD_BO_RING               BITSET_BIT(7)
 
 /* bo access flags: (keep aligned to MSM_PREP_x) */
 #define FD_BO_PREP_READ   BITSET_BIT(0)
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_priv.h b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_priv.h
index a5184dc22cc..827ed1c3d27 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_priv.h
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/freedreno_priv.h
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 extern simple_mtx_t table_lock;
 
 #define SUBALLOC_SIZE (32 * 1024)
+#define RING_FLAGS (FD_BO_GPUREADONLY | FD_BO_CACHED_COHERENT | _FD_BO_RING)
 
 /*
  * Stupid/simple growable array implementation:
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_bo.c b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_bo.c
index 7636f3948d1..52a1f016ff3 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_bo.c
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_bo.c
@@ -372,8 +372,8 @@ fail:
 }
 
 /* allocate a buffer object: */
-struct fd_bo *
-virtio_bo_new(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size, uint32_t flags)
+static struct fd_bo *
+virtio_bo_new_impl(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size, uint32_t flags)
 {
    struct virtio_device *virtio_dev = to_virtio_device(dev);
    struct drm_virtgpu_resource_create_blob args = {
@@ -449,3 +449,38 @@ fail:
    }
    return NULL;
 }
+
+struct fd_bo *
+virtio_bo_new(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size, uint32_t flags)
+{
+   struct fd_bo *bo = virtio_bo_new_impl(dev, size, flags);
+
+   if (bo && (flags == RING_FLAGS) && (size == SUBALLOC_SIZE)) {
+      struct virtio_device *virtio_dev = to_virtio_device(dev);
+
+      /*
+       * Swap the bo with an earlier pre-allocated one, since we know
+       * this one will be immediately mmap'd and want to avoid the
+       * latency hit of waiting for the host to catch up.
+       */
+      simple_mtx_lock(&virtio_dev->eb_lock);
+      list_addtail(&bo->list, &virtio_dev->prealloc_list);
+      bo = list_first_entry(&virtio_dev->prealloc_list, struct fd_bo, list);
+      list_delinit(&bo->list);
+      simple_mtx_unlock(&virtio_dev->eb_lock);
+   }
+
+   return bo;
+}
+
+void virtio_bo_setup_prealloc(struct fd_device *dev)
+{
+   struct virtio_device *virtio_dev = to_virtio_device(dev);
+
+   for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) {
+      struct fd_bo *bo = virtio_bo_new_impl(dev, SUBALLOC_SIZE, RING_FLAGS);
+      if (!bo)
+         break;
+      list_addtail(&bo->list, &virtio_dev->prealloc_list);
+   }
+}
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_device.c b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_device.c
index 8a09e36cb29..333565016dd 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_device.c
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_device.c
@@ -204,6 +204,8 @@ virtio_device_new(int fd, drmVersionPtr version)
 
    set_debuginfo(dev);
 
+   list_inithead(&virtio_dev->prealloc_list);
+
    util_vma_heap_init(&virtio_dev->address_space,
                       caps.u.msm.va_start,
                       caps.u.msm.va_size);
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_pipe.c b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_pipe.c
index bb54442cbfb..f109cfb57d2 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_pipe.c
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_pipe.c
@@ -220,6 +220,8 @@ init_shmem(struct fd_device *dev)
       uint32_t offset = virtio_dev->shmem->rsp_mem_offset;
       virtio_dev->rsp_mem_len = fd_bo_size(virtio_dev->shmem_bo) - offset;
       virtio_dev->rsp_mem = &((uint8_t *)virtio_dev->shmem)[offset];
+
+      virtio_bo_setup_prealloc(dev);
    }
 
    simple_mtx_unlock(&virtio_dev->rsp_lock);
diff --git a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_priv.h b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_priv.h
index c210a2b05b7..d453d15c26c 100644
--- a/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_priv.h
+++ b/src/freedreno/drm/virtio/virtio_priv.h
@@ -81,6 +81,11 @@ struct virtio_device {
    struct util_vma_heap address_space;
    simple_mtx_t address_space_lock;
 
+   /**
+    * Pre-allocated cmdstream buffers to avoid stalling on mmap.
+    */
+   struct list_head prealloc_list;
+
    uint32_t reqbuf_len;
    uint32_t reqbuf_cnt;
    uint8_t reqbuf[0x4000];
@@ -182,6 +187,7 @@ FD_DEFINE_CAST(fd_bo, virtio_bo);
 struct fd_bo *virtio_bo_new(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size, uint32_t flags);
 struct fd_bo *virtio_bo_from_handle(struct fd_device *dev, uint32_t size,
                                     uint32_t handle);
+void virtio_bo_setup_prealloc(struct fd_device *dev);
 
 /*
  * Internal helpers: