diff --git a/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/include/AvPlayer.hpp b/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/include/AvPlayer.hpp
index 0eeb944fb..c401749ba 100644
--- a/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/include/AvPlayer.hpp
+++ b/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/include/AvPlayer.hpp
@@ -130,6 +130,8 @@ private:
     void deliver(const Event& event);
     void autoStart();
     void checkEndOfFile();
+    bool readyLocked() const;
+    int startLocked();
     int stopLocked();
 
     AvPlayerFileReplacement file{};
diff --git a/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp b/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp
index 1e265d395..bdf69bfc3 100644
--- a/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp
+++ b/core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp
@@ -136,7 +136,15 @@ void Player::deliver(const Event& event) {
     callback.event_callback(callback.object_ptr, event.id, 0, event.id == EventWarningId ? &warning : nullptr);
 }
 
+bool Player::readyLocked() const {
+    return source && state == State::Ready;
+}
+
 void Player::autoStart() {
+    {
+        std::lock_guard lock(mutex);
+        if (!readyLocked()) return;
+    }
     const int count = StreamCount();
     if (count <= 0) {
         Stop();
@@ -155,7 +163,8 @@ void Player::autoStart() {
     }
     if (video != -1) EnableStream(static_cast<std::uint32_t>(video));
     if (audio != -1) EnableStream(static_cast<std::uint32_t>(audio));
-    Start();
+    std::lock_guard lock(mutex);
+    if (readyLocked()) startLocked();
 }
 
 void Player::checkEndOfFile() {
@@ -246,6 +255,10 @@ int Player::ChangeStream(std::uint32_t from, std::uint32_t to) {
 
 int Player::Start() {
     std::lock_guard lock(mutex);
+    return startLocked();
+}
+
+int Player::startLocked() {
     if (!source) return SCE_AVPLAYER_ERROR_OPERATION_FAILED;
     if (state != State::Ready && state != State::Stop && stopLocked() != SCE_OK) return SCE_AVPLAYER_ERROR_OPERATION_FAILED;
     const int result = source->Start();
diff --git a/core/libs/tests/GuestAvPlayer.cpp b/core/libs/tests/GuestAvPlayer.cpp
index 2fb32a5db..1d50a1497 100644
--- a/core/libs/tests/GuestAvPlayer.cpp
+++ b/core/libs/tests/GuestAvPlayer.cpp
@@ -1034,6 +1034,32 @@ void TestPs5ExtendedInitLayout() {
     run(true);
 }
 
+void TestAutoStartKeepsStartedPlayback() {
+    bool startedByTitle = false;
+    for (int attempt = 0; attempt < 10 && !startedByTitle; ++attempt) {
+        AvPlayerInitData init = InitData(nullptr);
+        auto* player = sceAvPlayerInit(&init);
+        Check(player != nullptr, "init failed");
+        Check(sceAvPlayerAddSource(player, "/app0/avplayer.mp4") == 0, "add source failed");
+        startedByTitle = sceAvPlayerEnableStream(player, VideoStream) == 0 && sceAvPlayerEnableStream(player, EnglishAudioStream) == 0;
+        if (startedByTitle) {
+            const auto releasedTextures = [] {
+                std::lock_guard lock(allocations.mutex);
+                return allocations.textures - ActiveTextureCountLocked();
+            };
+            Check(sceAvPlayerStart(player) == 0, "start failed");
+            const int released = releasedTextures();
+            AvPlayerFrameInfoEx frame{};
+            Check(WaitFor([&] { return sceAvPlayerGetVideoDataEx(player, &frame) != 0; }), "no video after the title's start");
+            std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(100));
+            Check(releasedTextures() == released, "auto-start restarted playback the title had started");
+            Check(IsAllocation(frame.p_data, true), "auto-start released the frame the title holds");
+        }
+        Check(sceAvPlayerClose(player) == 0, "close failed");
+    }
+    Check(startedByTitle, "auto-start won every race against the title's own start");
+}
+
 void TestUnsyncedVideoKeepsUpWithAudio() {
     AvPlayerInitData init = InitData(nullptr);
     auto* player = sceAvPlayerInit(&init);
@@ -1075,6 +1101,7 @@ int main() {
         TestFileReplacementAutoStart();
         TestHandedOutFramesStayIntact();
         TestPs5ExtendedInitLayout();
+        TestAutoStartKeepsStartedPlayback();
         TestUnsyncedVideoKeepsUpWithAudio();
         std::puts("AvPlayer tests passed");
         return 0;
diff --git a/docs/dev/TechnicalDebt.md b/docs/dev/TechnicalDebt.md
index 4656d0fbb..559981ba2 100644
--- a/docs/dev/TechnicalDebt.md
+++ b/docs/dev/TechnicalDebt.md
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ Throughout the project, every function at every stage either **does exactly what
 - [sceAvPlayerStartEx](../../core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/Export.cpp) (libSceAvPlayer) - start info layout unknown; it is ignored and playback starts as with `sceAvPlayerStart`
 - [sceAvPlayerInit / sceAvPlayerInitEx](../../core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp) (libSceAvPlayer) - behaviour without a memory replacement unknown; frame and sample buffers then come from the guest heap
 - [sceAvPlayerInitEx](../../core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/Export.cpp) (libSceAvPlayer) - the PS5 init data layout (`this_size` 0x230: auto start at 0x74, nine 0x30-byte thread parameter blocks from 0x78, output video frame buffer count at 0x228) follows [KytyPS5](https://github.com/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/blob/main/src/libs/avPlayer.cpp), [prosper](https://github.com/mattias800/prosper/blob/main/prosper/src/hle/video/avplayer.cpp), [SharpProspero](https://github.com/SvenGDK/SharpProspero/blob/main/src/SharpProspero/Interop/Media/AvPlayer.cs) and [sharpemu](https://github.com/sharpemu/sharpemu/blob/main/src/SharpEmu.Libs/AvPlayer/AvPlayerExports.cs), which agree on it. PPSA25063 fills the same fields, writes auto start 0 and starts playback with `sceAvPlayerStart`; a title that sets auto start has not been seen. A smaller `this_size` is read with the PS4 offsets. The thread parameters are ignored
+- [AvPlayer auto start](../../core/libs/prx/libSceAvPlayer/src/Player.cpp) (libSceAvPlayer) - the auto start that `sceAvPlayerAddSource` queues for a player with auto start or without an event callback starts the player only while it is still ready: a title that starts the player itself before the auto start runs keeps its playback and the frames it holds. Not confirmed on a title.
 - [SceAvPlayerVideoEx](../../core/libs/SceTypes.hpp) (libSceAvPlayer) - frame rate field and encoding unknown; it is left zero in frame and stream info
 - [sceRazorCpuFlushOccurred](../../core/libs/prx/libSceRazorCpu/Export.cpp) (libSceRazorCpu) - signature and return values (1 = flush since the last call, 0 = none) from [SharpProspero](https://github.com/SvenGDK/SharpProspero); without a capture nothing is flushed, so it returns 0 and writes 0 cycles to the optional out pointer (whether the real library writes it when nothing was flushed is unknown)
 - [sceRazorCpuPushMarkerStatic, sceRazorCpuPopMarker](../../core/libs/prx/libSceRazorCpu/Export.cpp) (libSceRazorCpu) - signatures from PPSA26344's calls; (name, color, flags) assumed for the push; both do nothing without a capture