diff --git a/.github/workflows/android.yml b/.github/workflows/android.yml
index bc6ce3fa9..037121c18 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/android.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/android.yml
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
             -DANDROID_ABI=${{ matrix.platform.android_abi }} \
             -DSDL_SHARED=ON \
             -DSDL_STATIC=ON \
-            -DSDL_STATIC_PIC=ON \
+            -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
             -DSDL_VENDOR_INFO="Github Workflow" \
             -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=prefix \
             -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index 46cc370a8..758dbc527 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ jobs:
           -DSDL_CLANG_TIDY=ON \
           -DSDL_DISABLE_INSTALL_DOCS=${{ !matrix.platform.no-perl }} \
           -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=cmake_prefix \
+          -DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON \
           -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
           ${{ matrix.platform.cmake-platform }} \
           ${{ matrix.platform.cmake }}
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 35d95ce0e..6a31ed54f 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -367,7 +367,6 @@ cmake_dependent_option(SDL_SHARED "Build a shared version of the library" ${SDL_
 cmake_dependent_option(SDL_STATIC "Build a static version of the library" ${SDL_STATIC_DEFAULT} ${SDL_STATIC_AVAILABLE} OFF)
 option(SDL_TEST_LIBRARY   "Build the SDL3_test library" ON)
 
-dep_option(SDL_STATIC_PIC      "Static version of the library should be built with Position Independent Code" "${CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE}" "SDL_STATIC" OFF)
 dep_option(SDL_TESTS           "Build the test directory" OFF SDL_TEST_LIBRARY OFF)
 dep_option(SDL_INSTALL_TESTS   "Install test-cases" OFF "NOT SDL_DISABLE_INSTALL;NOT SDL_FRAMEWORK;NOT WINDOWS_STORE" OFF)
 dep_option(SDL_TESTS_LINK_SHARED "link tests to shared SDL library" "${SDL_SHARED}" "SDL_SHARED;SDL_STATIC" "${SDL_SHARED}")
@@ -378,8 +377,6 @@ if(VITA)
   set_option(VIDEO_VITA_PVR  "Build with PSVita PVR gles/gles2 support" OFF)
 endif()
 
-set(HAVE_STATIC_PIC "${SDL_STATIC_PIC}")
-
 if(NOT (SDL_SHARED OR SDL_STATIC))
   message(FATAL_ERROR "SDL_SHARED and SDL_STATIC cannot both be disabled")
 endif()
@@ -3334,7 +3331,6 @@ endif()
 if(SDL_STATIC)
   set_target_properties(SDL3-static PROPERTIES
     OUTPUT_NAME "${sdl_static_libname}"
-    POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE "${SDL_STATIC_PIC}"
   )
   target_compile_definitions(SDL3-static PRIVATE SDL_STATIC_LIB)
   target_link_libraries(SDL3-static PRIVATE ${SDL_CMAKE_DEPENDS})
diff --git a/build-scripts/build-release.py b/build-scripts/build-release.py
index 4f8983954..42863c209 100755
--- a/build-scripts/build-release.py
+++ b/build-scripts/build-release.py
@@ -630,10 +630,9 @@ class Releaser:
                         f"-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE={cmake_toolchain_file}",
                         f"-DANDROID_PLATFORM={android_api}",
                         f"-DANDROID_ABI={android_abi}",
-                        f"-DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON",
+                        "-DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON",
                         "-DSDL_SHARED=ON",
                         "-DSDL_STATIC=ON",
-                        "-DSDL_STATIC_PIC=ON",
                         "-DSDL_TEST_LIBRARY=ON",
                         "-DSDL_DISABLE_ANDROID_JAR=OFF",
                         "-DSDL_TESTS=OFF",
diff --git a/cmake/test/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/test/CMakeLists.txt
index f25936d57..caf99e15a 100644
--- a/cmake/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -81,14 +81,12 @@ if(TEST_STATIC)
     add_executable(gui-static WIN32 main_gui.c)
     target_link_libraries(gui-static PRIVATE SDL3::SDL3-static)
 
-    option(SDL_STATIC_PIC "SDL static library has been built with PIC")
-    if(SDL_STATIC_PIC OR WIN32)
-        add_library(sharedlib-static SHARED main_lib.c)
-        target_link_libraries(sharedlib-static PRIVATE SDL3::SDL3-static)
-        generate_export_header(sharedlib-static EXPORT_MACRO_NAME MYLIBRARY_EXPORT)
-        target_compile_definitions(sharedlib-static PRIVATE "EXPORT_HEADER=\"${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sharedlib-static_export.h\"")
-        set_target_properties(sharedlib-static PROPERTIES C_VISIBILITY_PRESET "hidden")
-    endif()
+    # Assume SDL library has been built with `set(CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE ON)`
+    add_library(sharedlib-static SHARED main_lib.c)
+    target_link_libraries(sharedlib-static PRIVATE SDL3::SDL3-static)
+    generate_export_header(sharedlib-static EXPORT_MACRO_NAME MYLIBRARY_EXPORT)
+    target_compile_definitions(sharedlib-static PRIVATE "EXPORT_HEADER=\"${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/sharedlib-static_export.h\"")
+    set_target_properties(sharedlib-static PROPERTIES C_VISIBILITY_PRESET "hidden")
 
     if(TEST_TEST)
         add_executable(sdltest-static sdltest.c)
diff --git a/docs/README-cmake.md b/docs/README-cmake.md
index 2b96eb2e4..eb65c0ca7 100644
--- a/docs/README-cmake.md
+++ b/docs/README-cmake.md
@@ -306,6 +306,13 @@ if(WIN32)
 endif()
 ```
 
+### Linking against a static SDL library fails due to relocation errors
+
+On unix platforms, all code that ends up in shared libraries needs to be built as relocatable (=position independent) code.
+However, by default CMake builds static libraries as non-relocatable.
+Configuring SDL with `-DCMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON` will result in a static `libSDL3.a` library
+which you can link against to create a shared library.
+
 ## Help, it doesn't work!
 
 Below, a SDL3 CMake project can be found that builds 99.9% of time (assuming you have internet connectivity).