diff --git a/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.test.ts b/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.test.ts
index 89b2f5b..b03743d 100644
--- a/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.test.ts
@@ -1445,3 +1445,68 @@ describe('IterablePlayer initialize logging', () => {
     expect(logs.error).toContain('IterablePlayer: initialization failed');
   });
 });
+
+describe('IterablePlayer stepMessage', () => {
+  const OTHER_TOPIC = '/camera/rear/image/compressed';
+
+  function imageAt(topic: string, ms: number): MessageEvent {
+    return { ...makeImageMessageAtMs(ms), topic };
+  }
+
+  it('stepping back while paused announces the new time first, then refreshes every topic at it', async () => {
+    const source = makeSource([]);
+    vi.mocked(source.initialize).mockImplementation(async () => ({
+      ...makeInitialization(),
+      topics: [
+        { name: TOPIC, type: 'sensor_msgs/CompressedImage' },
+        { name: OTHER_TOPIC, type: 'sensor_msgs/CompressedImage' },
+      ],
+    }));
+    // The latest message per topic at or before the requested time.
+    vi.mocked(source.getBackfillMessages).mockImplementation(async ({ time, topics }) => {
+      const ms = time.sec * 1000 + Math.floor(time.nsec / 1_000_000);
+      const frames = [imageAt(TOPIC, 0), imageAt(TOPIC, 400), imageAt(OTHER_TOPIC, 0), imageAt(OTHER_TOPIC, 390)];
+      return topics.flatMap((topic) => {
+        const latest = frames
+          .filter((f) => f.topic === topic && f.receiveTime.sec * 1000 + f.receiveTime.nsec / 1_000_000 <= ms)
+          .at(-1);
+        return latest ? [latest] : [];
+      });
+    });
+    vi.mocked(source.getAdjacentMessage).mockImplementation(async () => imageAt(TOPIC, 400));
+
+    const player = new IterablePlayer(source);
+    await player.initialize({});
+    const events: string[] = [];
+    for (const topic of [TOPIC, OTHER_TOPIC]) {
+      player.registerHighFrequencyConsumer(`panel:${topic}`, {
+        topic,
+        lane: 'video',
+        onLatestMessage: (message) => {
+          events.push(`frame ${message.topic} ${message.receiveTime.nsec / 1_000_000}`);
+        },
+      });
+    }
+    player.seek({ sec: 0, nsec: 500_000_000 });
+    await flushAsyncWork();
+    await flushAsyncWork();
+    player.subscribeCurrentTime((time) => {
+      events.push(`time ${time.nsec / 1_000_000}`);
+    });
+    events.length = 0;
+
+    player.stepMessage(-1);
+    await flushAsyncWork();
+    await flushAsyncWork();
+
+    // Panels clear on a rewind, so the new time must come before the frames
+    // that fill them, and every topic (not only the stepped one) must get one.
+    const timeIndex = events.indexOf('time 400');
+    expect(timeIndex).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+    const after = events.slice(timeIndex + 1);
+    expect(after).toContain(`frame ${TOPIC} 400`);
+    expect(after).toContain(`frame ${OTHER_TOPIC} 390`);
+
+    player.close();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.ts b/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.ts
index c72fa47..e4e8d9b 100644
--- a/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.ts
+++ b/src/core/players/IterablePlayer.ts
@@ -629,8 +629,27 @@ export class IterablePlayer implements Player {
       this._currentTime = this._clampToRange(msg.receiveTime);
       this._clock.seek(this._currentTime, performance.now());
       this._topicLastMessageNs.clear();
-      this._distributeMessages([msg], this._currentTime);
+      // Announce the new time before delivering frames, as seek does: panels
+      // clear on a rewind, and frames delivered first would be wiped.
       this._notifyTimeSubscribers(this._currentTime);
+      // Refresh every subscribed topic at the new time, not only the topic of
+      // the adjacent message, so a step back leaves no panel empty.
+      let backfill: MessageEvent[] = [];
+      try {
+        backfill = await this._withSourceTimeout(
+          this._source.getBackfillMessages({ time: this._currentTime, topics }),
+          "playback backfill timed out",
+        );
+        this._noteSourceSuccess();
+      } catch (err) {
+        // Still show the stepped message; other panels refresh on the next step or play.
+        console.warn("IterablePlayer: stepMessage backfill failed", err);
+      }
+      if (!this._isPlaybackEpochCurrent(epoch)) return;
+      const hasSteppedMessage = backfill.some(
+        (event) => event.topic === msg.topic && toNano(event.receiveTime) === toNano(msg.receiveTime),
+      );
+      this._distributeMessages(hasSteppedMessage ? backfill : [...backfill, msg], this._currentTime);
       this._lastPipelineEmitMs = 0;
       this._emitState();
       this._scheduleNextTick();
diff --git a/tests/step-back-images.spec.ts b/tests/step-back-images.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dadc21b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/step-back-images.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
+import { MCAP_3CAM_URL, requireExamplesDir } from './fixturePaths';
+import { openFixtureByUrl } from './helpers/rosview';
+
+test.beforeAll(() => {
+  requireExamplesDir();
+});
+
+test('stepping back one message while paused keeps every image panel showing a frame', async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.setViewportSize({ width: 1440, height: 900 });
+  await openFixtureByUrl(page, MCAP_3CAM_URL);
+  const waiting = page.getByText('Waiting for image data');
+  const panels = page.locator('canvas');
+  await expect(panels).toHaveCount(3, { timeout: 30_000 });
+  await expect(waiting).toHaveCount(0, { timeout: 30_000 });
+
+  // Paused: step forward a few messages, then back. Each backward step rewinds
+  // the panels, which must be refilled at the new time on every camera.
+  await page.locator('body').click({ position: { x: 1, y: 1 } });
+  const pause = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Pause playback' });
+  if (await pause.isVisible()) await pause.click();
+  await page.evaluate(() => (document.activeElement as HTMLElement | null)?.blur());
+  for (let i = 0; i < 9; i++) await page.keyboard.press('ArrowRight');
+  for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
+    await page.keyboard.press('ArrowLeft');
+    await page.waitForTimeout(i % 2 ? 40 : 400);
+  }
+  await page.waitForTimeout(1_000);
+  await expect(waiting).toHaveCount(0);
+});