diff --git a/src/arch/arm/insts/static_inst.hh b/src/arch/arm/insts/static_inst.hh
index 3979a4951d..07181c2c0b 100644
--- a/src/arch/arm/insts/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/arch/arm/insts/static_inst.hh
@@ -205,12 +205,13 @@ class ArmStaticInst : public StaticInst
 
     uint64_t getEMI() const override { return machInst; }
 
-    PCState
-    buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+    std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+            const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
     {
-        PCState retPC = callPC;
-        retPC.uEnd();
-        return retPC;
+        PCStateBase *ret_pc = call_pc.clone();
+        ret_pc->as<PCState>().uEnd();
+        return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_pc};
     }
 
     std::string generateDisassembly(
diff --git a/src/arch/mips/isa/base.isa b/src/arch/mips/isa/base.isa
index b02a8c4ad9..cd13de239a 100644
--- a/src/arch/mips/isa/base.isa
+++ b/src/arch/mips/isa/base.isa
@@ -64,13 +64,18 @@ output header {{
             pc.as<PCState>().advance();
         }
 
-        PCState
-        buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+        std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+        buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+                const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
         {
-            PCState ret = callPC;
+            PCStateBase *ret_pc = call_pc.clone();
+
+            auto &ret = ret_pc->as<PCState>();
+
             ret.advance();
-            ret.pc(curPC.npc());
-            return ret;
+            ret.pc(cur_pc.as<PCState>().npc());
+
+            return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_pc};
         }
 
         size_t
diff --git a/src/arch/power/insts/static_inst.hh b/src/arch/power/insts/static_inst.hh
index bbe93fe4d2..eaa0100c3f 100644
--- a/src/arch/power/insts/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/arch/power/insts/static_inst.hh
@@ -74,12 +74,13 @@ class PowerStaticInst : public StaticInst
         pc_state.as<PCState>().advance();
     }
 
-    PCState
-    buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+    std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+            const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
     {
-        PCState retPC = callPC;
-        retPC.advance();
-        return retPC;
+        PCStateBase *ret_pc = call_pc.clone();
+        ret_pc->as<PCState>().advance();
+        return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_pc};
     }
 
     size_t
diff --git a/src/arch/riscv/insts/static_inst.hh b/src/arch/riscv/insts/static_inst.hh
index 1e2ec2854f..ed180ed296 100644
--- a/src/arch/riscv/insts/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/arch/riscv/insts/static_inst.hh
@@ -64,13 +64,15 @@ class RiscvStaticInst : public StaticInst
         pc.as<PCState>().advance();
     }
 
-    PCState
-    buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+    std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+            const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
     {
-        PCState retPC = callPC;
-        retPC.advance();
-        retPC.pc(curPC.npc());
-        return retPC;
+        PCStateBase *ret_pc_ptr = call_pc.clone();
+        auto &ret_pc = ret_pc_ptr->as<PCState>();
+        ret_pc.advance();
+        ret_pc.pc(cur_pc.as<PCState>().npc());
+        return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_pc_ptr};
     }
 
     size_t
diff --git a/src/arch/sparc/insts/static_inst.hh b/src/arch/sparc/insts/static_inst.hh
index b2dfd5e9d0..c5cec2591a 100644
--- a/src/arch/sparc/insts/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/arch/sparc/insts/static_inst.hh
@@ -122,13 +122,15 @@ class SparcStaticInst : public StaticInst
         return simpleAsBytes(buf, size, machInst);
     }
 
-    PCState
-    buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+    std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+            const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
     {
-        PCState ret = callPC;
+        PCStateBase *ret_ptr = call_pc.clone();
+        auto &ret = ret_ptr->as<PCState>();
         ret.uEnd();
-        ret.pc(curPC.npc());
-        return ret;
+        ret.pc(cur_pc.as<PCState>().npc());
+        return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_ptr};
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/src/arch/x86/insts/static_inst.hh b/src/arch/x86/insts/static_inst.hh
index 1654e81cc0..d8909043e2 100644
--- a/src/arch/x86/insts/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/arch/x86/insts/static_inst.hh
@@ -204,12 +204,13 @@ class X86StaticInst : public StaticInst
         pcState.as<PCState>().advance();
     }
 
-    PCState
-    buildRetPC(const PCState &curPC, const PCState &callPC) const override
+    std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc,
+            const PCStateBase &call_pc) const override
     {
-        PCState retPC = callPC;
-        retPC.uEnd();
-        return retPC;
+        PCStateBase *ret_pc_ptr = call_pc.clone();
+        ret_pc_ptr->as<PCState>().uEnd();
+        return std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>{ret_pc_ptr};
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/src/cpu/pred/bpred_unit.cc b/src/cpu/pred/bpred_unit.cc
index 9fcb9ba084..502b345cc3 100644
--- a/src/cpu/pred/bpred_unit.cc
+++ b/src/cpu/pred/bpred_unit.cc
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ BPredUnit::predict(const StaticInstPtr &inst, const InstSeqNum &seqNum,
             // If it's a function return call, then look up the address
             // in the RAS.
             TheISA::PCState rasTop = RAS[tid].top();
-            target = inst->buildRetPC(pc, rasTop);
+            target = inst->buildRetPC(pc, rasTop)->as<TheISA::PCState>();
 
             // Record the top entry of the RAS, and its index.
             predict_record.usedRAS = true;
diff --git a/src/cpu/static_inst.hh b/src/cpu/static_inst.hh
index d8c09ad623..9b5fd385cd 100644
--- a/src/cpu/static_inst.hh
+++ b/src/cpu/static_inst.hh
@@ -322,9 +322,8 @@ class StaticInst : public RefCounted, public StaticInstFlags
 
     virtual void advancePC(PCStateBase &pc_state) const = 0;
 
-    virtual TheISA::PCState
-    buildRetPC(const TheISA::PCState &cur_pc,
-            const TheISA::PCState &call_pc) const
+    virtual std::unique_ptr<PCStateBase>
+    buildRetPC(const PCStateBase &cur_pc, const PCStateBase &call_pc) const
     {
         panic("buildRetPC not defined!");
     }