Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/mgreenw/next-pages-router-asset-prefix-hard-nav-repro

To Reproduce

1. Load the reproduction repo + follow setup instructions
2. Click the link to "Page 2". Notice the hard browser navigation.

Current vs. Expected behavior

Current:

• Pages router in dev mode with custom assetPrefix applied
• Clicking a link to a new pages causes a hard navigation.
  • First there is a request to the JS file for the page, e.g. /custom-asset-prefix/_next/static/chunks/pages/page2.js. This request results in a 404
  • A hard navigation is performed
  • The page loads correctly after the hard navigation
• Sometimes a soft navigation happens on subsequent clicks (maybe if the cache is warm?)

Expected:

• Soft navigation is always performed in dev mode when an asset prefix is applied

Provide environment information

Operating System:
  Platform: darwin
  Arch: arm64
  Version: Darwin Kernel Version 24.3.0: Thu Jan  2 20:24:23 PST 2025; root:xnu-11215.81.4~3/RELEASE_ARM64_T6020
  Available memory (MB): 32768
  Available CPU cores: 12
Binaries:
  Node: 20.14.0
  npm: 10.7.0
  Yarn: 1.22.19
  pnpm: 9.7.0
Relevant Packages:
  next: 15.2.3 // Latest available version is detected (15.2.3).
  eslint-config-next: N/A
  react: 19.0.0
  react-dom: 19.0.0
  typescript: N/A
Next.js Config:
  output: N/A

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

Linking and Navigating

Which stage(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

next dev (local)

Additional context

Related issue:#63623
App Router-only fix: #63627

This seems to be a Webpack-only issue. I wasn't able to repro with Turbopack.