diff --git a/pcsx2/gui/AppCoreThread.cpp b/pcsx2/gui/AppCoreThread.cpp
index 6e8e22aca2..368c6b578c 100644
--- a/pcsx2/gui/AppCoreThread.cpp
+++ b/pcsx2/gui/AppCoreThread.cpp
@@ -321,8 +321,10 @@ static void SetupPatchesCon(bool verbose)
 // Oh, and updates curGameKey. I think that's it.
 // It doesn't require that the emulation is paused, and console writes/title should
 // be thread safe, but it's best if things don't move around much while it runs.
+static Threading::Mutex mtx__ApplySettings;
 static void _ApplySettings( const Pcsx2Config& src, Pcsx2Config& fixup )
 {
+	Threading::ScopedLock lock(mtx__ApplySettings);
 	// 'fixup' is the EmuConfig we're going to upload to the emulator, which very well may
 	// differ from the user-configured EmuConfig settings.  So we make a copy here and then
 	// we apply the commandline overrides and database gamefixes, and then upload 'fixup'
@@ -442,6 +444,23 @@ static void _ApplySettings( const Pcsx2Config& src, Pcsx2Config& fixup )
 	Console.SetTitle(consoleTitle);
 }
 
+// FIXME: This function is not for general consumption. Its only consumer (and
+//        the only place it's declared at) is i5900-32.cpp .
+// It's here specifically to allow loading the patches synchronously (to the caller)
+// when the recompiler detects the game's elf entry point, such that the patches
+// are applied to the elf in memory before it's getting recompiled.
+// TODO: Find a way to pause the recompiler once it detects the elf entry, then
+//       make AppCoreThread::ApplySettings run more normally, and then resume
+//       the recompiler.
+//       The key point is that the patches should be loaded exactly before the elf
+//       is recompiled. Loading them earlier might incorrectly patch the bios memory,
+//       and later might be too late since the code was already recompiled
+void LoadAllPatchesAndStuff(const Pcsx2Config& cfg)
+{
+	Pcsx2Config dummy;
+	_ApplySettings(cfg, dummy);
+}
+
 void AppCoreThread::ApplySettings( const Pcsx2Config& src )
 {
 	// Re-entry guard protects against cases where code wants to manually set core settings
diff --git a/pcsx2/x86/ix86-32/iR5900-32.cpp b/pcsx2/x86/ix86-32/iR5900-32.cpp
index 0ab577a73a..f064c40d51 100644
--- a/pcsx2/x86/ix86-32/iR5900-32.cpp
+++ b/pcsx2/x86/ix86-32/iR5900-32.cpp
@@ -1562,6 +1562,10 @@ bool skipMPEG_By_Pattern(u32 sPC) {
 	return 0;
 }
 
+// defined at AppCoreThread.cpp but unclean and should not be public. We're the only
+// consumers of it, so it's declared only here.
+void LoadAllPatchesAndStuff(const Pcsx2Config&);
+
 static void __fastcall recRecompile( const u32 startpc )
 {
 	u32 i = 0;
@@ -1611,6 +1615,7 @@ static void __fastcall recRecompile( const u32 startpc )
 
 	// this is the only way patches get applied, doesn't depend on a hack
 	if (HWADDR(startpc) == ElfEntry) {
+		Console.WriteLn(L"Elf entry point @ 0x%08x about to get recompiled. Load patches first.", startpc);
 		xFastCall(eeGameStarting);
 		// Apply patch as soon as possible. Normally it is done in
 		// eeGameStarting but first block is already compiled.
@@ -1618,6 +1623,7 @@ static void __fastcall recRecompile( const u32 startpc )
 		// First tentative was to call eeGameStarting directly (not through the
 		// recompiler) but it crashes some games (GT4, DMC3). It is either a
 		// thread issue or linked to the various components reset.
+		LoadAllPatchesAndStuff(EmuConfig);
 		ApplyLoadedPatches(PPT_ONCE_ON_LOAD);
 	}