diff --git a/packages/core/src/canvas/renderer/retained-backing.ts b/packages/core/src/canvas/renderer/retained-backing.ts
index 3d25bfe82..1bf0b3ef5 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/canvas/renderer/retained-backing.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/canvas/renderer/retained-backing.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import type { RenderLayer } from './pipeline'
 
 const now = typeof performance !== 'undefined' ? () => performance.now() : () => 0
 const SCENE_BACKING_SCALE = 3
+const MAX_SCENE_BACKING_DEVICE_PIXELS = 12_000_000
 const FRAME_BUDGET_60HZ_MS = 1000 / 60
 const MIN_SCENE_BACKING_IDLE_FRAMES = 2
 const MAX_SCENE_BACKING_IDLE_FRAMES = 18
@@ -45,10 +46,7 @@ export function updateSceneBackingPreviewState(r: SkiaRenderer, layer: RenderLay
   if (layer !== 'scene') return
   const previous = r.lastSceneViewport
   const viewportChanged =
-    !previous ||
-    previous.panX !== r.panX ||
-    previous.panY !== r.panY ||
-    previous.zoom !== r.zoom
+    !previous || previous.panX !== r.panX || previous.panY !== r.panY || previous.zoom !== r.zoom
   if (viewportChanged) {
     const timestamp = now()
     if (r.sceneBackingLastViewportEventAt > 0) {
@@ -85,7 +83,12 @@ function backingScreenCoverageContainsViewport(r: SkiaRenderer): boolean {
   const scale = r.zoom / backing.zoom
   const x = r.panX - backing.panX * scale
   const y = r.panY - backing.panY * scale
-  return x <= 0 && y <= 0 && x + backing.width * scale >= r.viewportWidth && y + backing.height * scale >= r.viewportHeight
+  return (
+    x <= 0 &&
+    y <= 0 &&
+    x + backing.width * scale >= r.viewportWidth &&
+    y + backing.height * scale >= r.viewportHeight
+  )
 }
 
 function backingWorldCoverageContainsLiveViewport(r: SkiaRenderer): boolean {
@@ -129,12 +132,7 @@ function drawSceneBacking(
   const backing = r.sceneBacking
   if (
     !backing ||
-    !backingCoverageContainsLiveViewport(
-      r,
-      sceneVersion,
-      allowStaleZoom,
-      positionPreviewVersion
-    )
+    !backingCoverageContainsLiveViewport(r, sceneVersion, allowStaleZoom, positionPreviewVersion)
   ) {
     return false
   }
@@ -154,9 +152,23 @@ function drawSceneBacking(
   return true
 }
 
+export function sceneBackingScaleForViewport(
+  viewportWidth: number,
+  viewportHeight: number,
+  dpr: number
+): number {
+  const viewportDevicePixels = Math.max(1, viewportWidth * viewportHeight * dpr * dpr)
+  return clamp(
+    Math.sqrt(MAX_SCENE_BACKING_DEVICE_PIXELS / viewportDevicePixels),
+    1,
+    SCENE_BACKING_SCALE
+  )
+}
+
 function sceneBackingGeometry(r: SkiaRenderer) {
-  const marginX = r.viewportWidth * ((SCENE_BACKING_SCALE - 1) / 2)
-  const marginY = r.viewportHeight * ((SCENE_BACKING_SCALE - 1) / 2)
+  const backingScale = sceneBackingScaleForViewport(r.viewportWidth, r.viewportHeight, r.dpr)
+  const marginX = r.viewportWidth * ((backingScale - 1) / 2)
+  const marginY = r.viewportHeight * ((backingScale - 1) / 2)
   const width = Math.max(1, Math.ceil(r.viewportWidth + marginX * 2))
   const height = Math.max(1, Math.ceil(r.viewportHeight + marginY * 2))
   const backingPanX = r.panX + marginX
@@ -464,4 +476,3 @@ export function renderSceneBacking(
     positionPreviewVersion
   )
 }
-
diff --git a/tests/engine/render/canvas/retained-backing.test.ts b/tests/engine/render/canvas/retained-backing.test.ts
index 7a6a44606..e4f0582fb 100644
--- a/tests/engine/render/canvas/retained-backing.test.ts
+++ b/tests/engine/render/canvas/retained-backing.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 import { expect, mock, test } from 'bun:test'
+
 import type { Canvas, Image as CKImage, Surface } from 'canvaskit-wasm'
 
 import type { SkiaRenderer } from '#core/canvas/renderer'
-import { renderSceneBacking } from '#core/canvas/renderer/retained-backing'
+import {
+  renderSceneBacking,
+  sceneBackingScaleForViewport
+} from '#core/canvas/renderer/retained-backing'
 import type { SceneGraph } from '#core/scene-graph'
 
 function createRenderer(surfaceFactory: () => Surface | null) {
@@ -75,6 +79,12 @@ function createGraph(positionPreviewVersion = 0) {
   return graph as SceneGraph
 }
 
+test('retained scene backing caps large viewport backing allocations', () => {
+  expect(sceneBackingScaleForViewport(400, 300, 1)).toBe(3)
+  expect(sceneBackingScaleForViewport(2560, 1600, 2)).toBe(1)
+  expect(sceneBackingScaleForViewport(2560, 1600, 1)).toBeLessThan(2)
+})
+
 test('retained scene backing falls back when CanvasKit cannot create an offscreen surface', () => {
   const r = createRenderer(() => null)
   const canvas = createCanvas()