diff --git a/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/IonRouter.tsx b/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/IonRouter.tsx
index 2ac9b942e5..77fd51553c 100644
--- a/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/IonRouter.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/IonRouter.tsx
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ export const IonRouter = ({ children, registerHistoryListener }: PropsWithChildr
          * e.g., `/home` → `/settings` → back to `/home`
          */
         const condition1 = routeInfo.lastPathname === routeInfo.pushedByRoute;
-        const condition2 = prevInfo.pathname === routeInfo.pushedByRoute && routeInfo.tab === '' && prevInfo.tab === '';
+        const condition2 = prevInfo.pathname === routeInfo.pushedByRoute && !routeInfo.tab && !prevInfo.tab;
         if (condition1 || condition2) {
           // Record the current location key so browser forward is detectable
           forwardStack.current.push(currentLocationKeyRef.current);
diff --git a/packages/react-router/test/base/tests/e2e/specs/replace-actions.cy.js b/packages/react-router/test/base/tests/e2e/specs/replace-actions.cy.js
index 918888dd90..945f65cb30 100644
--- a/packages/react-router/test/base/tests/e2e/specs/replace-actions.cy.js
+++ b/packages/react-router/test/base/tests/e2e/specs/replace-actions.cy.js
@@ -17,4 +17,23 @@ describe('Replace Action', () => {
     cy.ionPageVisible('page1');
     cy.ionPageDoesNotExist('page2');
   });
+
+  /**
+   * Tests that the browser forward button works after going back from a
+   * replace-navigated page. When going back uses navigate(-1) (native browser
+   * back), the forward entry is preserved in the browser history stack.
+   * If it falls through to handleNavigate (replace-based), forward is broken.
+   */
+  it('/replace-action > Goto Page2 > Goto Page3 > Browser Back > Browser Forward > Page3 should be visible', () => {
+    cy.visit(`http://localhost:${port}/replace-action`);
+    cy.ionPageVisible('page1');
+    cy.ionNav('ion-button', 'Goto Page2');
+    cy.ionPageVisible('page2');
+    cy.ionNav('ion-button', 'Goto Page3');
+    cy.ionPageVisible('page3');
+    cy.go('back');
+    cy.ionPageVisible('page1');
+    cy.go('forward');
+    cy.ionPageVisible('page3');
+  });
 });