diff --git a/example/three/index.js b/example/three/index.js
index c61d7deff..a2dcbe2d1 100644
--- a/example/three/index.js
+++ b/example/three/index.js
@@ -56,6 +56,8 @@ const params = {
 
 	errorTarget: 6,
 	maxDepth: 15,
+	loadSiblings: true,
+	loadAncestors: true,
 	displayActiveTiles: false,
 	resolutionScale: 1.0,
 
@@ -270,7 +272,9 @@ function init() {
 	const tileOptions = gui.addFolder( 'Tiles Options' );
 	tileOptions.add( params, 'displayActiveTiles' );
 	tileOptions.add( params, 'errorTarget' ).min( 0 ).max( 50 );
-	tileOptions.add( params, 'maxDepth' ).min( 1 ).max( 100 );
+	tileOptions.add( params, 'maxDepth' ).min( 1 ).max( 100 ).step( 1 );
+	tileOptions.add( params, 'loadAncestors' );
+	tileOptions.add( params, 'loadSiblings' );
 	tileOptions.add( params, 'up', [ '+Y', '+Z', '-Z' ] );
 	tileOptions.open();
 
@@ -460,6 +464,8 @@ function animate() {
 	tiles.errorTarget = params.errorTarget;
 	tiles.displayActiveTiles = params.displayActiveTiles;
 	tiles.maxDepth = params.maxDepth;
+	tiles.loadAncestors = params.loadAncestors;
+	tiles.loadSiblings = params.loadSiblings;
 
 	// update plugin
 	const plugin = tiles.getPluginByName( 'DEBUG_TILES_PLUGIN' );
diff --git a/src/core/renderer/tiles/TilesRendererBase.js b/src/core/renderer/tiles/TilesRendererBase.js
index 7b00a89ac..2a93409ff 100644
--- a/src/core/renderer/tiles/TilesRendererBase.js
+++ b/src/core/renderer/tiles/TilesRendererBase.js
@@ -405,8 +405,13 @@ export class TilesRendererBase {
 
 	set optimizedLoadStrategy( v ) {
 
-		console.warn( 'TilesRenderer: "optimizedLoadStrategy" has been deprecated. Please toggle "loadAncestors" to adjust the tile load behavior.' );
-		this._optimizedLoadStrategy = v;
+		if ( v !== this._optimizedLoadStrategy ) {
+
+			console.warn( 'TilesRenderer: "optimizedLoadStrategy" has been deprecated. Please toggle "loadAncestors" to adjust the tile load behavior.' );
+			this._optimizedLoadStrategy = v;
+
+		}
+
 
 	}
 
@@ -1319,6 +1324,13 @@ export class TilesRendererBase {
 
 	}
 
+	setEmptyTileVisible( tile, visible ) {
+
+		// callback specifically for indicating whether an "empty", non geometry tile is visible. Ued specifically
+		// for the DebugTilesPlugin to show intermediate parent tiles.
+
+	}
+
 	setTileVisible( tile, visible ) {
 
 		visible ? this.visibleTiles.add( tile ) : this.visibleTiles.delete( tile );
diff --git a/src/core/renderer/tiles/optimizedTraverseFunctions.js b/src/core/renderer/tiles/optimizedTraverseFunctions.js
index 4a9713c54..d32a55876 100644
--- a/src/core/renderer/tiles/optimizedTraverseFunctions.js
+++ b/src/core/renderer/tiles/optimizedTraverseFunctions.js
@@ -463,10 +463,6 @@ function toggleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 
 			}
 
-		} else {
-
-			tile.traversal.active = false;
-
 		}
 
 		// when loading parent tiles as fallbacks, keep all used tiles downloaded
@@ -487,7 +483,7 @@ function toggleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 		}
 
 		// if the tile is loaded and in frustum we can mark it as visible
-		tile.traversal.visible = tile.internal.hasRenderableContent && tile.traversal.active && tile.traversal.inFrustum && tile.internal.loadingState === LOADED;
+		tile.traversal.visible = tile.traversal.active && tile.traversal.inFrustum && ( ! tile.internal.hasRenderableContent || tile.internal.loadingState === LOADED );
 		renderer.stats.used ++;
 
 		if ( tile.traversal.inFrustum ) {
@@ -498,7 +494,7 @@ function toggleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 
 	}
 
-	if ( isUsed || isProcessed( tile ) && tile.traversal?.usedLastFrame ) {
+	if ( isUsed || isProcessed( tile ) && tile.traversal.usedLastFrame ) {
 
 		let setActive = false;
 		let setVisible = false;
@@ -552,6 +548,15 @@ function toggleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 
 			}
 
+		} else if ( ! tile.internal.hasRenderableContent ) {
+
+			// Empty tiles are not tracked in activeTiles so setTileActive is not called here.
+			if ( tile.traversal.wasSetVisible !== setVisible ) {
+
+				renderer.invokeOnePlugin( plugin => plugin.setEmptyTileVisible && plugin.setEmptyTileVisible( tile, setVisible ) );
+
+			}
+
 		}
 
 		tile.traversal.wasSetActive = setActive;
diff --git a/src/core/renderer/tiles/traverseFunctions.js b/src/core/renderer/tiles/traverseFunctions.js
index 8283d815b..9259de57d 100644
--- a/src/core/renderer/tiles/traverseFunctions.js
+++ b/src/core/renderer/tiles/traverseFunctions.js
@@ -339,6 +339,16 @@ function markVisibleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 			tile.traversal.active = true;
 			stats.active ++;
 
+		} else if ( ! tile.internal.hasRenderableContent ) {
+
+			if ( tile.traversal.inFrustum ) {
+
+				tile.traversal.visible = true;
+
+			}
+
+			tile.traversal.active = true;
+
 		} else if ( tile.internal.hasContent ) {
 
 			renderer.queueTileForDownload( tile );
@@ -463,6 +473,14 @@ function toggleTiles( tile, renderer ) {
 
 			}
 
+		} else if ( ! tile.internal.hasRenderableContent ) {
+
+			if ( tile.traversal.wasSetVisible !== setVisible ) {
+
+				renderer.invokeOnePlugin( plugin => plugin.setEmptyTileVisible && plugin.setEmptyTileVisible( tile, setVisible ) );
+
+			}
+
 		}
 
 		tile.traversal.wasSetActive = setActive;
diff --git a/src/three/plugins/DebugTilesPlugin.js b/src/three/plugins/DebugTilesPlugin.js
index 31012de8f..75b607de0 100644
--- a/src/three/plugins/DebugTilesPlugin.js
+++ b/src/three/plugins/DebugTilesPlugin.js
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ export class DebugTilesPlugin {
 
 		};
 
-		this._onTileVisibilityChangeCB = ( { scene, tile, visible } ) => {
+		this._onTileVisibilityChangeCB = ( { tile, visible } ) => {
 
 			this._onTileVisibilityChange( tile, visible );
 
@@ -722,6 +722,12 @@ export class DebugTilesPlugin {
 
 	}
 
+	setEmptyTileVisible( tile, visible ) {
+
+		this._onTileVisibilityChange( tile, visible );
+
+	}
+
 	_onTileVisibilityChange( tile, visible ) {
 
 		if ( this.displayParentBounds ) {
diff --git a/src/three/plugins/TileFlatteningPlugin.js b/src/three/plugins/TileFlatteningPlugin.js
index e7b4eb5ab..0675a5332 100644
--- a/src/three/plugins/TileFlatteningPlugin.js
+++ b/src/three/plugins/TileFlatteningPlugin.js
@@ -223,7 +223,6 @@ export class TileFlatteningPlugin {
 
 		} );
 
-
 		this.tiles.dispatchEvent( { type: 'needs-render' } );
 
 	}