diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
index 8f250f828f..906f56f330 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
@@ -506,8 +506,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			if (_argParser.cmdRom != null)
 			{
 				// Commandline should always override auto-load
-				var romPath = _argParser.cmdRom.MakeAbsolute();
-				LoadRom(romPath, new LoadRomArgs { OpenAdvanced = OpenAdvancedSerializer.ParseWithLegacy(romPath) });
+				var ioa = OpenAdvancedSerializer.ParseWithLegacy(_argParser.cmdRom);
+				if (ioa is OpenAdvanced_OpenRom oaor) ioa = new OpenAdvanced_OpenRom { Path = oaor.Path.MakeAbsolute() }; // fixes #3224; should this be done for all the IOpenAdvanced types? --yoshi
+				LoadRom(ioa.SimplePath, new LoadRomArgs { OpenAdvanced = ioa });
 				if (Game == null)
 				{
 					ShowMessageBox(owner: null, $"Failed to load {_argParser.cmdRom} specified on commandline");