diff --git a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.cpp b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.cpp
index 47b1432360..8efcb69834 100644
--- a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.cpp
+++ b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.cpp
@@ -5,9 +5,15 @@
 #include "Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanAlloc.h"
 #include "Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.h"
 #include "Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanMemory.h"
+#include "Common/StringUtils.h"
 
 using namespace PPSSPP_VK;
 
+VulkanTexture::VulkanTexture(VulkanContext *vulkan, const char *tag)
+	: vulkan_(vulkan) {
+	truncate_cpy(tag_, tag);
+}
+
 void VulkanTexture::Wipe() {
 	if (view_ != VK_NULL_HANDLE) {
 		vulkan_->Delete().QueueDeleteImageView(view_);
@@ -80,7 +86,7 @@ bool VulkanTexture::CreateDirect(VkCommandBuffer cmd, int w, int h, int depth, i
 	VkResult res = vmaCreateImage(vulkan_->Allocator(), &image_create_info, &allocCreateInfo, &image_, &allocation_, &allocInfo);
 
 	// Apply the tag
-	vulkan_->SetDebugName(image_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE, tag_.c_str());
+	vulkan_->SetDebugName(image_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE, tag_);
 
 	// Write a command to transition the image to the requested layout, if it's not already that layout.
 	if (initialLayout != VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_UNDEFINED && initialLayout != VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_PREINITIALIZED) {
@@ -123,14 +129,14 @@ bool VulkanTexture::CreateDirect(VkCommandBuffer cmd, int w, int h, int depth, i
 		_assert_(res == VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY || res == VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DEVICE_MEMORY || res == VK_ERROR_TOO_MANY_OBJECTS);
 		return false;
 	}
-	vulkan_->SetDebugName(view_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE_VIEW, tag_.c_str());
+	vulkan_->SetDebugName(view_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE_VIEW, tag_);
 
 	// Additionally, create an array view, but only if it's a 2D texture.
 	if (view_info.viewType == VK_IMAGE_VIEW_TYPE_2D) {
 		view_info.viewType = VK_IMAGE_VIEW_TYPE_2D_ARRAY;
 		res = vkCreateImageView(vulkan_->GetDevice(), &view_info, NULL, &arrayView_);
 		_assert_(res == VK_SUCCESS);
-		vulkan_->SetDebugName(arrayView_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE_VIEW, tag_.c_str());
+		vulkan_->SetDebugName(arrayView_, VK_OBJECT_TYPE_IMAGE_VIEW, tag_);
 	}
 
 	return true;
diff --git a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.h b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.h
index e0aa32d385..e4835059ed 100644
--- a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.h
+++ b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/VulkanImage.h
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#include <string>
 #include "VulkanLoader.h"
 
 class VulkanContext;
@@ -12,9 +11,7 @@ VK_DEFINE_HANDLE(VmaAllocation);
 // ALWAYS use an allocator when calling CreateDirect.
 class VulkanTexture {
 public:
-	VulkanTexture(VulkanContext *vulkan)
-		: vulkan_(vulkan) {
-	}
+	VulkanTexture(VulkanContext *vulkan, const char *tag);
 	~VulkanTexture() {
 		Destroy();
 	}
@@ -37,12 +34,10 @@ public:
 
 	void Destroy();
 
-	void SetTag(const char *tag) {
-		tag_ = tag;
-	}
-	const std::string &Tag() const {
+	const char *Tag() const {
 		return tag_;
 	}
+
 	void Touch() {}
 
 	// Used in image copies, etc.
@@ -74,5 +69,5 @@ private:
 	int16_t depth_ = 1;
 
 	VkFormat format_ = VK_FORMAT_UNDEFINED;
-	std::string tag_;
+	char tag_[64];
 };
diff --git a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/thin3d_vulkan.cpp b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/thin3d_vulkan.cpp
index 46be4cf00b..ae6808d87c 100644
--- a/Common/GPU/Vulkan/thin3d_vulkan.cpp
+++ b/Common/GPU/Vulkan/thin3d_vulkan.cpp
@@ -652,8 +652,7 @@ static inline VkSamplerAddressMode AddressModeToVulkan(Draw::TextureAddressMode
 VulkanTexture *VKContext::GetNullTexture() {
 	if (!nullTexture_) {
 		VkCommandBuffer cmdInit = renderManager_.GetInitCmd();
-		nullTexture_ = new VulkanTexture(vulkan_);
-		nullTexture_->SetTag("Null");
+		nullTexture_ = new VulkanTexture(vulkan_, "Null");
 		int w = 8;
 		int h = 8;
 		nullTexture_->CreateDirect(cmdInit, w, h, 1, 1, VK_FORMAT_A8B8G8R8_UNORM_PACK32, VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_TRANSFER_DST_OPTIMAL,
@@ -737,10 +736,7 @@ bool VKTexture::Create(VkCommandBuffer cmd, VulkanPushBuffer *push, const Textur
 	width_ = desc.width;
 	height_ = desc.height;
 	depth_ = desc.depth;
-	vkTex_ = new VulkanTexture(vulkan_);
-	if (desc.tag) {
-		vkTex_->SetTag(desc.tag);
-	}
+	vkTex_ = new VulkanTexture(vulkan_, desc.tag);
 	VkFormat vulkanFormat = DataFormatToVulkan(format_);
 	int bpp = GetBpp(vulkanFormat);
 	int bytesPerPixel = bpp / 8;
diff --git a/GPU/Vulkan/TextureCacheVulkan.cpp b/GPU/Vulkan/TextureCacheVulkan.cpp
index d536bedabd..f060b47c54 100644
--- a/GPU/Vulkan/TextureCacheVulkan.cpp
+++ b/GPU/Vulkan/TextureCacheVulkan.cpp
@@ -482,7 +482,10 @@ void TextureCacheVulkan::BuildTexture(TexCacheEntry *const entry) {
 	VkCommandBuffer cmdInit = (VkCommandBuffer)draw_->GetNativeObject(Draw::NativeObject::INIT_COMMANDBUFFER);
 
 	delete entry->vkTex;
-	entry->vkTex = new VulkanTexture(vulkan);
+
+	char texName[64]{};
+	snprintf(texName, sizeof(texName), "tex_%08x_%s", entry->addr, GeTextureFormatToString((GETextureFormat)entry->format, gstate.getClutPaletteFormat()));
+	entry->vkTex = new VulkanTexture(vulkan, texName);
 	VulkanTexture *image = entry->vkTex;
 
 	const VkComponentMapping *mapping;
@@ -513,10 +516,6 @@ void TextureCacheVulkan::BuildTexture(TexCacheEntry *const entry) {
 		actualFmt = VULKAN_8888_FORMAT;
 	}
 
-	char texName[128]{};
-	snprintf(texName, sizeof(texName), "tex_%08x_%s", entry->addr, GeTextureFormatToString((GETextureFormat)entry->format, gstate.getClutPaletteFormat()));
-	image->SetTag(texName);
-
 	bool allocSuccess = image->CreateDirect(cmdInit, plan.createW, plan.createH, plan.depth, plan.levelsToCreate, actualFmt, imageLayout, usage, mapping);
 	if (!allocSuccess && !lowMemoryMode_) {
 		WARN_LOG_REPORT(G3D, "Texture cache ran out of GPU memory; switching to low memory mode");