diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 20962938..80cf893c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ ifeq ($(LTO), 1)
   ALL_CXXFLAGS += -flto
 endif
 
+ifeq ($(NATIVE_OPTIMIZATIONS), 1)
+  ALL_CFLAGS += -march=native
+  ALL_CXXFLAGS += -march=native
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(JAPANESE), 1)
   BUILD_DIRECTORY = game_japanese
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 21613d15..6d88cd89 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ Name | Function
 `RELEASE=1` | Compile a release build (optimised, stripped, etc.)
 `STATIC=1` | Produce a statically-linked executable (good for Windows builds, so you don't need to bundle DLL files)
 `LTO=1` | Enable link-time optimisation
+`NATIVE_OPTIMIZATIONS=1` | Enable processor-specific optimisations (executable might not work on other architectures)
 `JAPANESE=1` | Enable the Japanese-language build (instead of the unofficial Aeon Genesis English translation)
 `FIX_BUGS=1` | Fix various bugs in the game
 `WINDOWS=1` | Build for Windows