An invention that pre-fetches virtual content in a virtual universe is provided. In one embodiment, there is a pre-fetching tool, including a ranking component configured to rank each of a plurality of members belonging to a social network of an avatar according to predefined ranking criteria. The pre-fetching tool further includes a pre-fetching component configured to pre-fetch a virtual content within a proximity of each of the plurality of members belonging to the social network of the avatar based on the ranking.