diff --git a/lib/globals.js b/lib/globals.js
index 4ebdd4bf7..816cfc40a 100644
--- a/lib/globals.js
+++ b/lib/globals.js
@@ -30,10 +30,8 @@ export async function initCodeceptGlobals(dir, config, container) {
   // pause/inject/share stay global even under noGlobals — they're the everyday
   // debugging/wiring entry points and have no useful import alternative for
   // page-object code that runs before the container is available.
-  global.pause = async (...args) => {
-    const pauseModule = await import('./pause.js')
-    return (pauseModule.default || pauseModule)(...args)
-  }
+  const pauseModule = await import('./pause.js')
+  global.pause = pauseModule.default || pauseModule
   global.inject = () => container.support()
   global.share = container.share
 
diff --git a/test/unit/pause_test.js b/test/unit/pause_test.js
index 50a0b44db..7f91b079a 100644
--- a/test/unit/pause_test.js
+++ b/test/unit/pause_test.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import pause, { setPauseHandler, pauseNow } from '../../lib/pause.js'
 import recorder from '../../lib/recorder.js'
 import event from '../../lib/event.js'
 import store from '../../lib/store.js'
+import { initCodeceptGlobals } from '../../lib/globals.js'
 
 const settles = (promise, ms = 2000) =>
   Promise.race([
@@ -100,3 +101,50 @@ describe('pause listener lifecycle', () => {
     expect(recorder.getCurrentSessionId()).to.equal(null)
   })
 })
+
+describe('global pause() queue ordering (issue #5652)', () => {
+  let savedPause
+  let savedNoGlobals
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    savedPause = global.pause
+    savedNoGlobals = store.noGlobals
+    store.dryRun = false
+    setPauseHandler(() => Promise.resolve())
+    recorder.reset()
+    recorder.stop()
+    await initCodeceptGlobals(process.cwd(), { output: 'output', noGlobals: true }, { support() {}, share() {} })
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    setPauseHandler(null)
+    event.dispatcher.emit(event.test.finished)
+    recorder.reset()
+    global.pause = savedPause
+    store.noGlobals = savedNoGlobals
+  })
+
+  it('global.pause is a synchronous function, not an async wrapper', () => {
+    expect(global.pause).to.equal(pause)
+    expect(global.pause.constructor.name).to.equal('Function')
+  })
+
+  it('queues the pause step between the steps surrounding it in the test body', () => {
+    // Mirrors a scenario body that runs synchronously to build the recorder queue:
+    //   I.amOnPage(...); pause(); I.see(...);
+    // The pause step must land *before* `see`, not after the rest of the body.
+    recorder.start()
+    recorder.add('amOnPage', () => {})
+    global.pause()
+    recorder.add('see', () => {})
+
+    const order = recorder.scheduled().split('\n')
+    const amOnPageIdx = order.indexOf('amOnPage')
+    const pauseIdx = order.indexOf('Start new session')
+    const seeIdx = order.indexOf('see')
+
+    expect(pauseIdx, 'pause step must be queued synchronously').to.be.greaterThan(-1)
+    expect(pauseIdx, 'pause must be queued after the preceding step').to.be.greaterThan(amOnPageIdx)
+    expect(pauseIdx, 'pause must be queued before the following step').to.be.lessThan(seeIdx)
+  })
+})