diff --git a/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail-preload.test.ts b/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail-preload.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b5e11efa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail-preload.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+import { createComponent, provideContext, root, tick } from 'maverick.js';
+import { vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import { mediaContext } from '../../../core/api/media-context';
+import { mediaState } from '../../../core/api/player-state';
+import { Thumbnail } from './thumbnail';
+import type { ThumbnailImageInit } from './thumbnail-loader';
+
+interface Preload {
+  src: string;
+  crossOrigin: string | null;
+}
+
+let preloads: Preload[];
+
+function setupThumbnail(
+  src: ThumbnailImageInit[],
+  time: number,
+  crossOrigin: 'anonymous' | 'use-credentials' | null = null,
+) {
+  let dispose!: () => void;
+
+  const $state = mediaState.create();
+  $state.canLoad.set(true);
+  $state.providedDuration.set(120);
+
+  const rootEl = document.createElement('div'),
+    img = document.createElement('img');
+
+  Object.defineProperties(img, {
+    naturalWidth: { value: 1800 },
+    naturalHeight: { value: 1012.5 },
+  });
+
+  const thumbnail = root((stop) => {
+    dispose = stop;
+    provideContext(mediaContext, { $state } as any);
+
+    const instance = createComponent(Thumbnail, {
+      props: { src, time, crossOrigin },
+    }) as any;
+
+    instance.$$.setup();
+    instance.$state.img.set(img);
+    instance.$$.attach(rootEl);
+    instance.$$.connect();
+
+    return instance;
+  }) as any;
+
+  tick();
+
+  return {
+    dispose,
+    thumbnail,
+  };
+}
+
+describe(Thumbnail.name, function () {
+  beforeEach(function () {
+    preloads = [];
+
+    vi.stubGlobal(
+      'Image',
+      class {
+        crossOrigin: string | null = null;
+        decoding = '';
+        #src = '';
+
+        get src() {
+          return this.#src;
+        }
+
+        set src(src: string) {
+          this.#src = src;
+          preloads.push({ src, crossOrigin: this.crossOrigin });
+        }
+      },
+    );
+  });
+
+  afterEach(function () {
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  });
+
+  it('preloads upcoming sprites in a bounded window', function () {
+    const thumbnails: ThumbnailImageInit[] = [
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_0.jpg',
+        startTime: 0,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 0, y: 0 },
+      },
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_0.jpg',
+        startTime: 10,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 300, y: 0 },
+      },
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_1.jpg',
+        startTime: 20,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 0, y: 0 },
+      },
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_1.jpg',
+        startTime: 30,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 300, y: 0 },
+      },
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_2.jpg',
+        startTime: 40,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 0, y: 0 },
+      },
+      {
+        url: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_3.jpg',
+        startTime: 50,
+        width: 300,
+        height: 168.75,
+        coords: { x: 0, y: 0 },
+      },
+    ];
+
+    const { dispose, thumbnail } = setupThumbnail(thumbnails, 0, 'use-credentials');
+
+    try {
+      expect(preloads).to.deep.equal([
+        {
+          src: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_1.jpg',
+          crossOrigin: 'use-credentials',
+        },
+      ]);
+
+      thumbnail.$props.time.set(10);
+      tick();
+
+      expect(preloads).to.have.length(1);
+
+      thumbnail.$props.time.set(20);
+      tick();
+
+      expect(preloads).to.deep.equal([
+        {
+          src: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_1.jpg',
+          crossOrigin: 'use-credentials',
+        },
+        {
+          src: 'https://sprites.example.test/seek/_2.jpg',
+          crossOrigin: 'use-credentials',
+        },
+      ]);
+    } finally {
+      dispose();
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail.ts b/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail.ts
index 5d6137fc6..1756df743 100644
--- a/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail.ts
+++ b/packages/vidstack/src/components/ui/thumbnails/thumbnail.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ import { $ariaBool } from '../../../utils/aria';
 import { round } from '../../../utils/number';
 import { ThumbnailsLoader, type ThumbnailImage, type ThumbnailSrc } from './thumbnail-loader';
 
+const PRELOAD_SPRITE_BATCH_SIZE = 2,
+  MAX_PRELOADED_SPRITES = 32,
+  preloadedSprites = new Map<string, HTMLImageElement>();
+
 /**
  * Used to load and display a preview thumbnail at the given `time`.
  *
@@ -58,6 +62,7 @@ export class Thumbnail extends Component<ThumbnailProps, ThumbnailState> {
     effect(this.#watchCrossOrigin.bind(this));
     effect(this.#onLoadStart.bind(this));
     effect(this.#onFindActiveThumbnail.bind(this));
+    effect(this.#onPreloadNextSprites.bind(this));
     effect(this.#resize.bind(this));
   }
 
@@ -153,6 +158,29 @@ export class Thumbnail extends Component<ThumbnailProps, ThumbnailState> {
     src.set(activeImage?.url.href || '');
   }
 
+  #onPreloadNextSprites() {
+    if (__SERVER__) return;
+
+    const images = this.#loader.$images(),
+      activeThumbnail = this.$state.activeThumbnail();
+
+    if (!activeThumbnail) return;
+
+    const activeIndex = images.indexOf(activeThumbnail);
+
+    if (activeIndex < 0) return;
+
+    const activeSrc = activeThumbnail.url.href,
+      crossOrigin = this.$state.crossOrigin(),
+      startIndex = activeIndex + 1,
+      endIndex = Math.min(startIndex + PRELOAD_SPRITE_BATCH_SIZE, images.length);
+
+    for (let i = startIndex; i < endIndex; i++) {
+      const src = images[i].url.href;
+      if (src !== activeSrc) preloadSprite(src, crossOrigin);
+    }
+  }
+
   #resize() {
     if (!this.scope || this.$state.hidden()) return;
 
@@ -242,3 +270,27 @@ export interface ThumbnailState {
   error: ErrorEvent | null;
   hidden: boolean;
 }
+
+function preloadSprite(src: string, crossOrigin: MediaCrossOrigin | null) {
+  const key = `${src}::${crossOrigin}`;
+
+  if (preloadedSprites.has(key)) {
+    const image = preloadedSprites.get(key)!;
+    preloadedSprites.delete(key);
+    preloadedSprites.set(key, image);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const image = new Image();
+
+  image.decoding = 'async';
+  image.crossOrigin = crossOrigin;
+  image.src = src;
+
+  preloadedSprites.set(key, image);
+
+  if (preloadedSprites.size > MAX_PRELOADED_SPRITES) {
+    const firstKey = preloadedSprites.keys().next().value!;
+    preloadedSprites.delete(firstKey);
+  }
+}