diff --git a/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/base.ts b/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/base.ts
index 189624337..f866ac545 100644
--- a/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/base.ts
+++ b/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/base.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 	getPlatform,
 } from '../helpers/project';
 import { hasDependency } from '../helpers/dependencies';
+import { PlatformSuffixPlugin } from '../plugins/PlatformSuffixPlugin';
 
 export default function (config: Config, env: IWebpackEnv): Config {
 	const entryPath = getEntryPath();
@@ -28,6 +29,10 @@ export default function (config: Config, env: IWebpackEnv): Config {
 	// set mode
 	config.mode(mode);
 
+	// config.stats({
+	// 	logging: 'verbose'
+	// })
+
 	// package.json is generated by the CLI with runtime options
 	// this ensures it's not included in the bundle, but rather
 	// resolved at runtime
@@ -194,6 +199,22 @@ export default function (config: Config, env: IWebpackEnv): Config {
 		},
 	]);
 
+	// config.plugin('NormalModuleReplacementPlugin').use(NormalModuleReplacementPlugin, [
+	// 	/.*/,
+	// 	request => {
+	// 		if (new RegExp(`\.${platform}\..+$`).test(request.request)) {
+	// 			request.rawRequest = request.rawRequest.replace(`.${platform}.`, '.')
+	// 			console.log(request)
+	// 		}
+	// 	}
+	// ])
+
+	config.plugin('PlatformSuffixPlugin').use(PlatformSuffixPlugin, [
+		{
+			platform,
+		},
+	]);
+
 	// todo: refine defaults
 	config.plugin('DefinePlugin').use(DefinePlugin, [
 		{
diff --git a/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/javascript.ts b/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/javascript.ts
index 7a87891c0..3ac0e6aef 100644
--- a/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/javascript.ts
+++ b/packages/webpack5/src/configuration/javascript.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import VirtualModulesPlugin from 'webpack-virtual-modules';
+import { ContextExclusionPlugin } from 'webpack';
 import Config from 'webpack-chain';
 import dedent from 'ts-dedent';
 import { join } from 'path';
@@ -15,7 +16,12 @@ export default function (config: Config, env: IWebpackEnv = _env): Config {
 
 	config.entry('bundle').add(virtualEntryPath);
 
-	// Add a virtual entry module
+	config
+		.plugin('ContextExclusionPluginPlugin')
+		.use(ContextExclusionPlugin, [/__virtual_entry__\.js$/]);
+
+	// Add a virtual entry module that will register all modules into
+	// the nativescript module loader/handler
 	config.plugin('VirtualModulesPlugin').use(VirtualModulesPlugin, [
 		{
 			[virtualEntryPath]: dedent`
@@ -26,6 +32,8 @@ export default function (config: Config, env: IWebpackEnv = _env): Config {
 		},
 	]);
 
+	config.resolve.extensions.add('.xml');
+
 	// set up xml
 	config.module
 		.rule('xml')
diff --git a/packages/webpack5/src/plugins/PlatformSuffixPlugin.ts b/packages/webpack5/src/plugins/PlatformSuffixPlugin.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..183d48c0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/webpack5/src/plugins/PlatformSuffixPlugin.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+import { existsSync } from 'fs';
+import { extname, resolve } from 'path';
+
+const id = 'PlatformSuffixPlugin';
+
+interface PlatformSuffixPluginOptions {
+	platform: string;
+	// extensions: string[] | (() => string[])
+}
+
+export class PlatformSuffixPlugin {
+	private readonly platform: string;
+	// private readonly extensions: string[]
+
+	constructor(options: PlatformSuffixPluginOptions) {
+		this.platform = options.platform;
+
+		// if (typeof options.extensions === "function") {
+		// 	this.extensions = options.extensions()
+		// } else {
+		// 	this.extensions = options.extensions
+		// }
+	}
+
+	apply(compiler: any) {
+		console.log(
+			// this.extensions,
+			this.platform
+		);
+		const platformRE = new RegExp(`\.${this.platform}\.`);
+
+		compiler.hooks.contextModuleFactory.tap(id, (cmf) => {
+			cmf.hooks.alternativeRequests.tap(id, (modules, options) => {
+				const additionalModules = [];
+				// we are looking for modules that are platform specific (something.<platform>.ext)
+				// and we are duplicating them without the platform suffix
+				// this allows using require.context with non-existent platformless filenames
+				// but mapped to the platform specific variant (done in the resolver hook below)
+				for (const module of modules) {
+					if (platformRE.test(module.request)) {
+						additionalModules.push({
+							...module,
+							request: module.request.replace(platformRE, '.'),
+						});
+					}
+				}
+				modules.push(...additionalModules);
+			});
+		});
+
+		compiler.resolverFactory.hooks.resolver
+			.for('normal')
+			.tap(id, (resolver) => {
+				// Object.keys(resolver.hooks).forEach(hook => {
+				// 	resolver.hooks[hook].tap(id, (request, resolveContext) => {
+				// 		if(
+				// 			request?.path?.includes('foo.xml') ||
+				// 			request?.request?.includes('foo.xml')
+				// 		) {
+				// 			console.log(
+				// 				`>>> ${hook}: ${request.path}`,
+				// 				// request
+				// 			)
+				// 		}
+				// 		// callback();
+				// 	});
+				// })
+
+				resolver.hooks.normalResolve.tapAsync(
+					id,
+					(request_, resolveContext, callback) => {
+						const { path, request } = request_;
+						const ext = request && extname(request);
+						const platformExt = ext ? `.${this.platform}${ext}` : '';
+
+						if (path && request && ext && !request.includes(platformExt)) {
+							const platformRequest = request.replace(ext, platformExt);
+							const extPath = resolve(path, platformRequest);
+
+							// console.log({
+							// 	path,
+							// 	request,
+							// 	ext,
+							// 	extPath
+							// })
+
+							// if a file with the same + a platform suffix exists
+							// we want to resolve that file instead
+							if (existsSync(extPath)) {
+								const message = `resolving "${request}" to "${platformRequest}"`;
+								const hook = resolver.ensureHook('normalResolve');
+								console.log(message);
+
+								// here we are creating a new resolve object and replacing the path
+								// with the .<platform>.<ext> suffix
+								const obj = {
+									...request_,
+									path: resolver.join(path, platformRequest),
+									relativePath:
+										request_.relativePath &&
+										resolver.join(request_.relativePath, platformRequest),
+									request: undefined,
+								};
+
+								// we call to the actual resolver to do the resolving of this new file
+								return resolver.doResolve(
+									hook,
+									obj,
+									message,
+									resolveContext,
+									callback
+								);
+							}
+						}
+						callback();
+					}
+				);
+				// 	resolver.hooks.rawFile.tap(id, (request, resolveContext, callback) => {
+				// 		if(request.path && !/\.ios\..+$/.test(request.path)) {
+				// 			const { ext } = parse(request.path)
+				// 			const platformExtPath = request.path.replace(ext, `.${this.platform}${ext}`)
+				// 			// console.log({
+				// 			//     p1: request.path,
+				// 			//     p2: platformExtPath
+				// 			// })
+				// 			if(existsSync(platformExtPath)) {
+				// 				// request.path = platformExtPath
+				// 				// console.log('-'.repeat(100))
+				// 				// console.log(request)
+				// 				const obj = {
+				// 					...request,
+				// 					path: platformExtPath,
+				// 					fullySpecified: false
+				// 				}
+				// 				return resolver.doResolve(
+				// 					'raw-file',
+				// 					obj,
+				// 					`resolved ${request.path} to platform specific file: ${platformExtPath}`,
+				// 					resolveContext,
+				// 					(err, result) => {
+				// 						if(err) return callback(err);
+				// 						if(result) return callback(null, result);
+				// 						return callback();
+				// 					}
+				// 				)
+				// 				// return request
+				// 			}
+				// 		}
+				// });
+			});
+	}
+}