diff --git a/NEW_RELEASE_NOTES.md b/NEW_RELEASE_NOTES.md
index 4a1a9c7fa7..77a7acc5f4 100644
--- a/NEW_RELEASE_NOTES.md
+++ b/NEW_RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@ for next branch cut* header.
 appropriate header in [RELEASE_NOTES.md](./RELEASE_NOTES.md).
 
 ## Release notes for next branch cut
+
+- engine: Add experimental APIs `Engine::builder::paused()` and `Engine::setPaused()`
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/Engine.cpp b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/Engine.cpp
index 80409702c3..c9fa78dccd 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/Engine.cpp
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/cpp/Engine.cpp
@@ -391,6 +391,13 @@ Java_com_google_android_filament_Engine_nFlush(JNIEnv*, jclass,
     engine->flush();
 }
 
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL
+Java_com_google_android_filament_Engine_nSetPaused(JNIEnv*, jclass,
+        jlong nativeEngine, jboolean paused) {
+    Engine* engine = (Engine*) nativeEngine;
+    engine->setPaused(paused);
+}
+
 // Managers...
 
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT jlong JNICALL
@@ -518,6 +525,12 @@ extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_google_android_filament_Engine_nSetBu
     builder->sharedContext((void*) sharedContext);
 }
 
+extern "C" JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_com_google_android_filament_Engine_nSetBuilderPaused(
+        JNIEnv*, jclass, jlong nativeBuilder, jboolean paused) {
+    Engine::Builder* builder = (Engine::Builder*) nativeBuilder;
+    builder->paused((bool) paused);
+}
+
 extern "C" JNIEXPORT jlong JNICALL
 Java_com_google_android_filament_Engine_nBuilderBuild(JNIEnv*, jclass, jlong nativeBuilder) {
     Engine::Builder* builder = (Engine::Builder*) nativeBuilder;
diff --git a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Engine.java b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Engine.java
index aee4c2b34a..0a4c213576 100644
--- a/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Engine.java
+++ b/android/filament-android/src/main/java/com/google/android/filament/Engine.java
@@ -239,6 +239,18 @@ public class Engine {
             return this;
         }
 
+        /**
+         * Sets the initial paused state of the rendering thread.
+         *
+         * @param paused Whether to start the rendering thread paused.
+         * @return A reference to this Builder for chaining calls.
+         * @warning Experimental.
+         */
+        public Builder paused(boolean paused) {
+            nSetBuilderPaused(mNativeBuilder, paused);
+            return this;
+        }
+
         /**
          * Creates an instance of Engine
          *
@@ -1189,6 +1201,13 @@ public class Engine {
         nFlush(getNativeObject());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Pause or resume the rendering thread.
+     * @warning Experimental.
+     */
+    public void setPaused(boolean paused) {
+        nSetPaused(getNativeObject(), paused);
+    }
 
     @UsedByReflection("TextureHelper.java")
     public long getNativeObject() {
@@ -1263,6 +1282,7 @@ public class Engine {
     private static native void nDestroyEntity(long nativeEngine, int entity);
     private static native void nFlushAndWait(long nativeEngine);
     private static native void nFlush(long nativeEngine);
+    private static native void nSetPaused(long nativeEngine, boolean paused);
     private static native long nGetTransformManager(long nativeEngine);
     private static native long nGetLightManager(long nativeEngine);
     private static native long nGetRenderableManager(long nativeEngine);
@@ -1286,5 +1306,6 @@ public class Engine {
             long resourceAllocatorCacheSizeMB, long resourceAllocatorCacheMaxAge);
     private static native void nSetBuilderFeatureLevel(long nativeBuilder, int ordinal);
     private static native void nSetBuilderSharedContext(long nativeBuilder, long sharedContext);
+    private static native void nSetBuilderPaused(long nativeBuilder, boolean paused);
     private static native long nBuilderBuild(long nativeBuilder);
 }
diff --git a/filament/backend/include/private/backend/CommandBufferQueue.h b/filament/backend/include/private/backend/CommandBufferQueue.h
index 2812245238..92bf7e1488 100644
--- a/filament/backend/include/private/backend/CommandBufferQueue.h
+++ b/filament/backend/include/private/backend/CommandBufferQueue.h
@@ -50,12 +50,13 @@ class CommandBufferQueue {
     size_t mFreeSpace = 0;
     size_t mHighWatermark = 0;
     uint32_t mExitRequested = 0;
+    bool mPaused = false;
 
     static constexpr uint32_t EXIT_REQUESTED = 0x31415926;
 
 public:
     // requiredSize: guaranteed available space after flush()
-    CommandBufferQueue(size_t requiredSize, size_t bufferSize);
+    CommandBufferQueue(size_t requiredSize, size_t bufferSize, bool paused);
     ~CommandBufferQueue();
 
     CircularBuffer& getCircularBuffer() noexcept { return mCircularBuffer; }
@@ -80,6 +81,9 @@ public:
     // returns from waitForCommands() immediately.
     void requestExit();
 
+    // suspend or unsuspend the queue.
+    void setPaused(bool paused);
+
     bool isExitRequested() const;
 };
 
diff --git a/filament/backend/src/CommandBufferQueue.cpp b/filament/backend/src/CommandBufferQueue.cpp
index e3e5de045c..9de07ed0e2 100644
--- a/filament/backend/src/CommandBufferQueue.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/src/CommandBufferQueue.cpp
@@ -39,10 +39,11 @@ using namespace utils;
 
 namespace filament::backend {
 
-CommandBufferQueue::CommandBufferQueue(size_t requiredSize, size_t bufferSize)
+CommandBufferQueue::CommandBufferQueue(size_t requiredSize, size_t bufferSize, bool paused)
         : mRequiredSize((requiredSize + (CircularBuffer::getBlockSize() - 1u)) & ~(CircularBuffer::getBlockSize() -1u)),
           mCircularBuffer(bufferSize),
-          mFreeSpace(mCircularBuffer.size()) {
+          mFreeSpace(mCircularBuffer.size()),
+          mPaused(paused) {
     assert_invariant(mCircularBuffer.size() > requiredSize);
 }
 
@@ -56,6 +57,15 @@ void CommandBufferQueue::requestExit() {
     mCondition.notify_one();
 }
 
+void CommandBufferQueue::setPaused(bool paused) {
+    if (paused) {
+        mPaused = true;
+    } else {
+        mPaused = false;
+        mCondition.notify_one();
+    }
+}
+
 bool CommandBufferQueue::isExitRequested() const {
     std::lock_guard<utils::Mutex> const lock(mLock);
     ASSERT_PRECONDITION( mExitRequested == 0 || mExitRequested == EXIT_REQUESTED,
@@ -127,7 +137,7 @@ std::vector<CommandBufferQueue::Range> CommandBufferQueue::waitForCommands() con
         return std::move(mCommandBuffersToExecute);
     }
     std::unique_lock<utils::Mutex> lock(mLock);
-    while (mCommandBuffersToExecute.empty() && !mExitRequested) {
+    while ((mCommandBuffersToExecute.empty() || mPaused) && !mExitRequested) {
         mCondition.wait(lock);
     }
 
diff --git a/filament/backend/test/BackendTest.cpp b/filament/backend/test/BackendTest.cpp
index 0730236344..5bb694c974 100644
--- a/filament/backend/test/BackendTest.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/test/BackendTest.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ void BackendTest::init(Backend backend, bool isMobilePlatform) {
 }
 
 BackendTest::BackendTest() : commandBufferQueue(CONFIG_MIN_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE,
-            CONFIG_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE) {
+        CONFIG_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE, /*mPaused=*/false) {
     initializeDriver();
 }
 
diff --git a/filament/backend/test/ComputeTest.cpp b/filament/backend/test/ComputeTest.cpp
index 6ec640dbed..5808c3b182 100644
--- a/filament/backend/test/ComputeTest.cpp
+++ b/filament/backend/test/ComputeTest.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ void ComputeTest::init(Backend backend) {
 }
 
 ComputeTest::ComputeTest()
-        : commandBufferQueue(CONFIG_MIN_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE, CONFIG_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE) {
+    : commandBufferQueue(CONFIG_MIN_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE, CONFIG_COMMAND_BUFFERS_SIZE,
+            /*paused=*/false) {
 }
 
 ComputeTest::~ComputeTest() = default;
diff --git a/filament/include/filament/Engine.h b/filament/include/filament/Engine.h
index 04d71259b7..a702b3de26 100644
--- a/filament/include/filament/Engine.h
+++ b/filament/include/filament/Engine.h
@@ -402,6 +402,13 @@ public:
          */
         Builder& featureLevel(FeatureLevel featureLevel) noexcept;
 
+        /**
+         * @param paused Whether to start the rendering thread paused.
+         * @return A reference to this Builder for chaining calls.
+         * @warning Experimental.
+         */
+        Builder& paused(bool paused) noexcept;
+
 #if UTILS_HAS_THREADING
         /**
          * Creates the filament Engine asynchronously.
@@ -827,6 +834,12 @@ public:
       */
     void flush();
 
+    /**
+     * Pause or resume rendering thread.
+     * @warning Experimental.
+     */
+    void setPaused(bool paused);
+
     /**
      * Drains the user callback message queue and immediately execute all pending callbacks.
      *
diff --git a/filament/src/Engine.cpp b/filament/src/Engine.cpp
index 380b7e55ad..ffb85ae70a 100644
--- a/filament/src/Engine.cpp
+++ b/filament/src/Engine.cpp
@@ -295,6 +295,11 @@ utils::JobSystem& Engine::getJobSystem() noexcept {
     return downcast(this)->getJobSystem();
 }
 
+void Engine::setPaused(bool paused) {
+    ASSERT_PRECONDITION(UTILS_HAS_THREADING, "Pause is meant for multi-threaded platforms.");
+    downcast(this)->setPaused(paused);
+}
+
 DebugRegistry& Engine::getDebugRegistry() noexcept {
     return downcast(this)->getDebugRegistry();
 }
diff --git a/filament/src/details/Engine.cpp b/filament/src/details/Engine.cpp
index 97c22b90c1..c0d3f802fb 100644
--- a/filament/src/details/Engine.cpp
+++ b/filament/src/details/Engine.cpp
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ struct Engine::BuilderDetails {
     Engine::Config mConfig;
     FeatureLevel mFeatureLevel = FeatureLevel::FEATURE_LEVEL_1;
     void* mSharedContext = nullptr;
+    bool mPaused = false;
     static Config validateConfig(const Config* pConfig) noexcept;
 };
 
@@ -200,7 +201,8 @@ FEngine::FEngine(Engine::Builder const& builder) :
         mCameraManager(*this),
         mCommandBufferQueue(
                 builder->mConfig.minCommandBufferSizeMB * MiB,
-                builder->mConfig.commandBufferSizeMB * MiB),
+                builder->mConfig.commandBufferSizeMB * MiB,
+                builder->mPaused),
         mPerRenderPassArena(
                 "FEngine::mPerRenderPassAllocator",
                 builder->mConfig.perRenderPassArenaSizeMB * MiB),
@@ -1194,6 +1196,10 @@ void FEngine::destroy(FEngine* engine) {
     }
 }
 
+void FEngine::setPaused(bool paused) {
+    mCommandBufferQueue.setPaused(paused);
+}
+
 Engine::FeatureLevel FEngine::getSupportedFeatureLevel() const noexcept {
     FEngine::DriverApi& driver = const_cast<FEngine*>(this)->getDriverApi();
     return driver.getFeatureLevel();
@@ -1247,6 +1253,11 @@ Engine::Builder& Engine::Builder::sharedContext(void* sharedContext) noexcept {
     return *this;
 }
 
+Engine::Builder& Engine::Builder::paused(bool paused) noexcept {
+    mImpl->mPaused = paused;
+    return *this;
+}
+
 #if UTILS_HAS_THREADING
 
 void Engine::Builder::build(Invocable<void(void*)>&& callback) const {
diff --git a/filament/src/details/Engine.h b/filament/src/details/Engine.h
index 002e4f25f9..ead937e644 100644
--- a/filament/src/details/Engine.h
+++ b/filament/src/details/Engine.h
@@ -340,6 +340,8 @@ public:
 
     void destroy(utils::Entity e);
 
+    void setPaused(bool paused);
+
     void flushAndWait();
 
     // flush the current buffer