diff --git a/.changeset/card-screen-align.md b/.changeset/card-screen-align.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f695e47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/card-screen-align.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@react-navigation/lynx': patch
+---
+
+Keep a popped card screen rendered while it animates out, so going back with `navigation.goBack()` slides the screen away instead of dropping it at once. Inactive card screens now follow the new `inactiveBehavior` option, which defaults to `pause` and keeps them mounted.
diff --git a/packages/lynx/src/stack/types.ts b/packages/lynx/src/stack/types.ts
index 41dc532..41d9c74 100644
--- a/packages/lynx/src/stack/types.ts
+++ b/packages/lynx/src/stack/types.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,20 @@ export type LynxStackPresentation = 'card' | 'formSheet';
 export type LynxStackNavigationOptions = {
   presentation?: LynxStackPresentation | undefined;
   contentStyle?: Lynx.CSSProperties | undefined;
+  /**
+   * What should happen when screens become inactive.
+   * - `pause`: Effects are cleaned up.
+   * - `unmount`: Screen is unmounted
+   * - `none`: Screen renders normally
+   *
+   * Defaults to `pause`.
+   *
+   * Preloaded screens won't be paused until after navigated to.
+   * This makes sure that effects are run to initialize the screen.
+   *
+   * Screens with nested navigators and last 2 screens won't be unmounted.
+   */
+  inactiveBehavior?: 'pause' | 'unmount' | 'none' | undefined;
   /**
    * Heights the sheet can rest at, as fractions of the screen, or
    * `'fitToContents'` to measure the content. `formSheet` only, as is every
diff --git a/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardContent.tsx b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardContent.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d0673f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardContent.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+// Copyright 2026 The Lynx Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0 that can be found in the
+// LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+
+import type { ReactNode } from '@lynx-js/react';
+
+import type { LynxStackDescriptor } from '../types';
+
+type Props = {
+  descriptor: LynxStackDescriptor;
+  activityMode: 'normal' | 'inert' | 'paused' | 'unmounted';
+  backgroundColor: string;
+};
+
+export function CardContent({
+  descriptor,
+  activityMode,
+  backgroundColor,
+}: Props) {
+  const { options, render } = descriptor;
+
+  const { contentStyle } = options;
+
+  let contentElement: ReactNode;
+
+  if (activityMode === 'unmounted') {
+    contentElement = null;
+  } else {
+    contentElement = (
+      <view
+        user-interaction-enabled={activityMode !== 'inert'}
+        style={styles.content}
+      >
+        {render()}
+      </view>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <view style={{ ...styles.container, backgroundColor, ...contentStyle }}>
+      {contentElement}
+    </view>
+  );
+}
+
+const styles = {
+  container: {
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'column',
+    width: '100%',
+    height: '100%',
+  },
+  content: {
+    display: 'flex',
+    flexDirection: 'column',
+    width: '100%',
+    height: '100%',
+  },
+} as const;
diff --git a/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardScreen.tsx b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardScreen.tsx
index d3f4ecd..e6b17a5 100644
--- a/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardScreen.tsx
+++ b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/CardScreen.tsx
@@ -2,10 +2,18 @@
 // Licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0 that can be found in the
 // LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
-import { NavigationProvider, usePreventRemoveContext } from '@react-navigation/core';
+import {
+  NavigationProvider,
+  usePreventRemoveContext,
+  useTheme,
+} from '@react-navigation/core';
 import { StackScreenNativeComponent } from 'lynx-screens';
 
-import type { LynxStackDescriptor, LynxStackNavigationHelpers } from '../types';
+import type {
+  LynxStackDescriptor,
+  LynxStackNavigationHelpers,
+} from '../types';
+import { CardContent } from './CardContent';
 
 type Props = {
   descriptor: LynxStackDescriptor;
@@ -30,31 +38,49 @@ export function CardScreen({
   onNativeDismiss,
   onNativeDismissPrevented,
 }: Props) {
+  const { colors } = useTheme();
   const { preventedRoutes } = usePreventRemoveContext();
 
   const { route, options } = descriptor;
-  const { contentStyle } = options;
 
-  // A screen is kept out of the native hierarchy while it animates out or
-  // while it sits above the focused index (preloaded / retained).
-  const activityMode = isPopped || isDetached ? 'detached' : 'attached';
+  const { inactiveBehavior = 'pause' } = options;
 
-  // Prevention comes from `usePreventRemove` and nothing else. A static option
-  // would be a trap: the native side would block the gesture, then the
-  // `onNativeDismissPrevented` round-trip below would pop the route anyway,
-  // because only a `beforeRemove` listener can cancel that dispatch.
   const isRemovePrevented = preventedRoutes[route.key]?.preventRemove;
+  const hasNestedState = 'state' in route && route.state != null;
 
-  // Only the focused screen, the one behind it (so a swipe back reveals fresh
-  // content) and detached screens stay live. `isBeforeLast` and `isFocused`
-  // are read here rather than in the parent so the reasoning stays with the
-  // component that acts on it.
-  const isLive = isFocused || isBeforeLast || isDetached;
+  let activityMode: 'normal' | 'inert' | 'paused' | 'unmounted';
+
+  if (isPopped) {
+    // The screen is animating out, so don't let it handle any interaction
+    activityMode = 'inert';
+  } else if (
+    // Render focused screens normally
+    isFocused ||
+    // Unpause previous screen so update isn't delayed for swipe back
+    isBeforeLast ||
+    // Unpause preloaded and retained screens so updates are visible
+    // This lets effects on those screens run
+    isDetached
+  ) {
+    activityMode = 'normal';
+  } else {
+    switch (inactiveBehavior) {
+      case 'none':
+        activityMode = 'normal';
+        break;
+      case 'unmount':
+        activityMode = hasNestedState ? 'paused' : 'unmounted';
+        break;
+      case 'pause':
+        activityMode = 'paused';
+        break;
+    }
+  }
 
   return (
     <StackScreenNativeComponent
       screenKey={route.key}
-      activityMode={activityMode}
+      activityMode={isPopped || isDetached ? 'detached' : 'attached'}
       preventNativeDismiss={isRemovePrevented}
       onWillAppear={() =>
         navigation.emit({
@@ -89,17 +115,11 @@ export function CardScreen({
       onNativeDismissPrevented={onNativeDismissPrevented}
     >
       <NavigationProvider navigation={descriptor.navigation} route={route}>
-        <view
-          style={{
-            display: 'flex',
-            flexDirection: 'column',
-            width: '100%',
-            height: '100%',
-            ...contentStyle,
-          }}
-        >
-          {isLive ? descriptor.render() : null}
-        </view>
+        <CardContent
+          descriptor={descriptor}
+          activityMode={activityMode}
+          backgroundColor={colors.background}
+        />
       </NavigationProvider>
     </StackScreenNativeComponent>
   );
diff --git a/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/__tests__/CardScreen.test.tsx b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/__tests__/CardScreen.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9893d81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lynx/src/stack/views/__tests__/CardScreen.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Copyright 2026 The Lynx Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0 that can be found in the
+// LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+
+import { expect, test } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  createNavigationContainerRef,
+  type ParamListBase,
+} from '@react-navigation/core';
+import { act, render } from '@lynx-js/react/testing-library';
+
+import { NavigationContainer } from '../../../NavigationContainer';
+import type { LynxStackNavigationOptions } from '../../types';
+import { createLynxStackNavigator } from '../../navigators/createLynxStackNavigator';
+
+const renderStack = (screenOptions: LynxStackNavigationOptions = {}) => {
+  const Stack = createLynxStackNavigator();
+  const ref = createNavigationContainerRef<ParamListBase>();
+
+  const screen = (name: string) => () => <text>{`content of ${name}`}</text>;
+
+  const result = render(
+    <NavigationContainer ref={ref}>
+      <Stack.Navigator screenOptions={screenOptions}>
+        <Stack.Screen name='A' component={screen('A')} />
+        <Stack.Screen name='B' component={screen('B')} />
+        <Stack.Screen name='C' component={screen('C')} />
+      </Stack.Navigator>
+    </NavigationContainer>
+  );
+
+  return { ...result, ref };
+};
+
+test('keeps a popped screen rendered until the native side dismisses it', () => {
+  const { container, ref } = renderStack();
+
+  act(() => ref.navigate('B'));
+  expect(container.textContent).toContain('content of B');
+
+  act(() => ref.goBack());
+
+  expect(container.textContent).toContain('content of B');
+});
+
+test('keeps screens deeper than the one behind the top rendered by default', () => {
+  const { container, ref } = renderStack();
+
+  act(() => ref.navigate('B'));
+  act(() => ref.navigate('C'));
+
+  expect(container.textContent).toContain('content of A');
+});
+
+test('unmounts screens deeper than the one behind the top with inactiveBehavior unmount', () => {
+  const { container, ref } = renderStack({ inactiveBehavior: 'unmount' });
+
+  act(() => ref.navigate('B'));
+  act(() => ref.navigate('C'));
+
+  expect(container.textContent).not.toContain('content of A');
+  expect(container.textContent).toContain('content of B');
+});
diff --git a/packages/lynx/vitest.config.ts b/packages/lynx/vitest.config.ts
index 199e63b..f299ba3 100644
--- a/packages/lynx/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/packages/lynx/vitest.config.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
+import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
 import { vitestTestingLibraryPlugin } from '@lynx-js/react/testing-library/plugins';
 import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config';
 
+const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+const requireFromCore = createRequire(
+  require.resolve('@react-navigation/core'),
+);
+
 export default defineConfig({
   plugins: [
     vitestTestingLibraryPlugin({
@@ -9,5 +17,15 @@ export default defineConfig({
   ],
   test: {
     name: '@react-navigation/lynx',
+    alias: [
+      { find: /^react$/, replacement: require.resolve('@lynx-js/react/compat') },
+      {
+        find: /^use-latest-callback$/,
+        replacement: path.join(
+          path.dirname(requireFromCore.resolve('use-latest-callback')),
+          '../../src/index.ts',
+        ),
+      },
+    ],
   },
 });