diff --git a/player/command.c b/player/command.c
index 8dbea662f8..a397f2d9d0 100644
--- a/player/command.c
+++ b/player/command.c
@@ -49,8 +49,9 @@
 #include "demux/demux.h"
 #include "demux/stheader.h"
 #include "common/playlist.h"
-#include "sub/osd.h"
 #include "sub/dec_sub.h"
+#include "sub/osd.h"
+#include "sub/sd.h"
 #include "options/m_option.h"
 #include "options/m_property.h"
 #include "options/m_config_frontend.h"
@@ -5410,11 +5411,10 @@ static void cmd_sub_step_seek(void *p)
                                                &mpctx->opts->subs_rend->sub_delay);
                 show_property_osd(mpctx, "sub-delay", cmd->on_osd);
             } else {
-                // We can easily get stuck by failing to seek to the video
-                // frame which actually shows the sub first (because video
-                // frame PTS and sub PTS rarely match exactly). Add some
-                // rounding for the mess of it.
-                a[0] += 0.01 * (a[1] >= 0 ? 1 : -1);
+                // We can easily seek/step to the wrong subtitle line (because
+                // video frame PTS and sub PTS rarely match exactly). Add an
+                // arbitrary forward offset as a workaround.
+                a[0] += SUB_SEEK_OFFSET;
                 mark_seek(mpctx);
                 queue_seek(mpctx, MPSEEK_ABSOLUTE, a[0], MPSEEK_EXACT,
                            MPSEEK_FLAG_DELAY);
diff --git a/sub/sd.h b/sub/sd.h
index 87270c6c4f..11a90fe2a8 100644
--- a/sub/sd.h
+++ b/sub/sd.h
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 #define SUB_GAP_THRESHOLD 0.210
 // don't change timings if durations are smaller
 #define SUB_GAP_KEEP 0.4
+// slight offset when sub seeking or sub stepping
+#define SUB_SEEK_OFFSET 0.01
 
 struct sd {
     struct mpv_global *global;
diff --git a/sub/sd_ass.c b/sub/sd_ass.c
index d3c220b5fe..bbf3218f49 100644
--- a/sub/sd_ass.c
+++ b/sub/sd_ass.c
@@ -844,7 +844,8 @@ static int control(struct sd *sd, enum sd_ctrl cmd, void *arg)
         long long res = ass_step_sub(ctx->ass_track, ts, a[1]);
         if (!res)
             return false;
-        a[0] += res / 1000.0;
+        // Try to account for overlapping durations
+        a[0] += res / 1000.0 + SUB_SEEK_OFFSET;
         return true;
     }
     case SD_CTRL_SET_VIDEO_PARAMS: