diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Beatmaps/IO/ImportBeatmapTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Beatmaps/IO/ImportBeatmapTest.cs
index f020c2a805..5fc05a4b2f 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Beatmaps/IO/ImportBeatmapTest.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Beatmaps/IO/ImportBeatmapTest.cs
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ using NUnit.Framework;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
 using osu.Game.IPC;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
+using osu.Framework.Logging;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps;
+using osu.Game.IO;
 using osu.Game.Tests.Resources;
 using SharpCompress.Archives.Zip;
 
@@ -21,14 +23,14 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
     public class ImportBeatmapTest
     {
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportWhenClosed()
+        public async Task TestImportWhenClosed()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportWhenClosed"))
             {
                 try
                 {
-                    LoadOszIntoOsu(loadOsu(host));
+                    await LoadOszIntoOsu(loadOsu(host));
                 }
                 finally
                 {
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportThenDelete()
+        public async Task TestImportThenDelete()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportThenDelete"))
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                 {
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     deleteBeatmapSet(imported, osu);
                 }
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportThenImport()
+        public async Task TestImportThenImport()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportThenImport"))
@@ -68,17 +70,15 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                 {
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
-                    var importedSecondTime = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var importedSecondTime = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     // check the newly "imported" beatmap is actually just the restored previous import. since it matches hash.
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.ID == importedSecondTime.ID);
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.Beatmaps.First().ID == importedSecondTime.Beatmaps.First().ID);
 
-                    var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
-
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count);
+                    checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 1);
+                    checkSingleReferencedFileCount(osu, 18);
                 }
                 finally
                 {
@@ -88,30 +88,41 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestRollbackOnFailure()
+        public async Task TestRollbackOnFailure()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestRollbackOnFailure"))
             {
                 try
                 {
+                    int itemAddRemoveFireCount = 0;
+                    int loggedExceptionCount = 0;
+
+                    Logger.NewEntry += l =>
+                    {
+                        if (l.Target == LoggingTarget.Database && l.Exception != null)
+                            Interlocked.Increment(ref loggedExceptionCount);
+                    };
+
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
                     var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
 
-                    int fireCount = 0;
-
                     // ReSharper disable once AccessToModifiedClosure
-                    manager.ItemAdded += (_, __) => fireCount++;
-                    manager.ItemRemoved += _ => fireCount++;
+                    manager.ItemAdded += (_, __) => Interlocked.Increment(ref itemAddRemoveFireCount);
+                    manager.ItemRemoved += _ => Interlocked.Increment(ref itemAddRemoveFireCount);
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
-                    Assert.AreEqual(0, fireCount -= 1);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(0, itemAddRemoveFireCount -= 1);
 
                     imported.Hash += "-changed";
                     manager.Update(imported);
 
-                    Assert.AreEqual(0, fireCount -= 2);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(0, itemAddRemoveFireCount -= 2);
+
+                    checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 1);
+                    checkBeatmapCount(osu, 12);
+                    checkSingleReferencedFileCount(osu, 18);
 
                     var breakTemp = TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport();
 
@@ -127,19 +138,24 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                         zip.SaveTo(outStream, SharpCompress.Common.CompressionType.Deflate);
                     }
 
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(12, manager.QueryBeatmaps(_ => true).ToList().Count);
-
                     // this will trigger purging of the existing beatmap (online set id match) but should rollback due to broken osu.
-                    manager.Import(breakTemp);
+                    try
+                    {
+                        await manager.Import(breakTemp);
+                    }
+                    catch
+                    {
+                    }
 
                     // no events should be fired in the case of a rollback.
-                    Assert.AreEqual(0, fireCount);
+                    Assert.AreEqual(0, itemAddRemoveFireCount);
 
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(12, manager.QueryBeatmaps(_ => true).ToList().Count);
+                    checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 1);
+                    checkBeatmapCount(osu, 12);
+
+                    checkSingleReferencedFileCount(osu, 18);
+
+                    Assert.AreEqual(1, loggedExceptionCount);
                 }
                 finally
                 {
@@ -149,7 +165,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportThenImportDifferentHash()
+        public async Task TestImportThenImportDifferentHash()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportThenImportDifferentHash"))
@@ -159,19 +175,18 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
                     var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     imported.Hash += "-changed";
                     manager.Update(imported);
 
-                    var importedSecondTime = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var importedSecondTime = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.ID != importedSecondTime.ID);
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.Beatmaps.First().ID < importedSecondTime.Beatmaps.First().ID);
 
                     // only one beatmap will exist as the online set ID matched, causing purging of the first import.
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count);
-                    Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count);
+                    checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 1);
                 }
                 finally
                 {
@@ -181,7 +196,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportThenDeleteThenImport()
+        public async Task TestImportThenDeleteThenImport()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportThenDeleteThenImport"))
@@ -190,11 +205,11 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                 {
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     deleteBeatmapSet(imported, osu);
 
-                    var importedSecondTime = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var importedSecondTime = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     // check the newly "imported" beatmap is actually just the restored previous import. since it matches hash.
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.ID == importedSecondTime.ID);
@@ -209,7 +224,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
 
         [TestCase(true)]
         [TestCase(false)]
-        public void TestImportThenDeleteThenImportWithOnlineIDMismatch(bool set)
+        public async Task TestImportThenDeleteThenImportWithOnlineIDMismatch(bool set)
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost($"TestImportThenDeleteThenImport-{set}"))
@@ -218,7 +233,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                 {
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
 
-                    var imported = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var imported = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     if (set)
                         imported.OnlineBeatmapSetID = 1234;
@@ -229,7 +244,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
 
                     deleteBeatmapSet(imported, osu);
 
-                    var importedSecondTime = LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+                    var importedSecondTime = await LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
 
                     // check the newly "imported" beatmap has been reimported due to mismatch (even though hashes matched)
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.ID != importedSecondTime.ID);
@@ -243,7 +258,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportWithDuplicateBeatmapIDs()
+        public async Task TestImportWithDuplicateBeatmapIDs()
         {
             //unfortunately for the time being we need to reference osu.Framework.Desktop for a game host here.
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportWithDuplicateBeatmapID"))
@@ -284,7 +299,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
 
                     var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
 
-                    var imported = manager.Import(toImport);
+                    var imported = await manager.Import(toImport);
 
                     Assert.NotNull(imported);
                     Assert.AreEqual(null, imported.Beatmaps[0].OnlineBeatmapID);
@@ -330,7 +345,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportWhenFileOpen()
+        public async Task TestImportWhenFileOpen()
         {
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportWhenFileOpen"))
             {
@@ -339,7 +354,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
                     var osu = loadOsu(host);
                     var temp = TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport();
                     using (File.OpenRead(temp))
-                        osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>().Import(temp);
+                        await osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>().Import(temp);
                     ensureLoaded(osu);
                     File.Delete(temp);
                     Assert.IsFalse(File.Exists(temp), "We likely held a read lock on the file when we shouldn't");
@@ -351,13 +366,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
             }
         }
 
-        public static BeatmapSetInfo LoadOszIntoOsu(OsuGameBase osu, string path = null)
+        public static async Task<BeatmapSetInfo> LoadOszIntoOsu(OsuGameBase osu, string path = null)
         {
             var temp = path ?? TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport();
 
             var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
 
-            manager.Import(temp);
+            await manager.Import(temp);
 
             var imported = manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets();
 
@@ -373,11 +388,32 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Beatmaps.IO
             var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
             manager.Delete(imported);
 
-            Assert.IsTrue(manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count == 0);
-            Assert.AreEqual(1, manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count);
+            checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 0);
+            checkBeatmapSetCount(osu, 1, true);
+            checkSingleReferencedFileCount(osu, 0);
+
             Assert.IsTrue(manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).First().DeletePending);
         }
 
+        private void checkBeatmapSetCount(OsuGameBase osu, int expected, bool includeDeletePending = false)
+        {
+            var manager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
+
+            Assert.AreEqual(expected, includeDeletePending
+                ? manager.QueryBeatmapSets(_ => true).ToList().Count
+                : manager.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Count);
+        }
+
+        private void checkBeatmapCount(OsuGameBase osu, int expected)
+        {
+            Assert.AreEqual(expected, osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>().QueryBeatmaps(_ => true).ToList().Count);
+        }
+
+        private void checkSingleReferencedFileCount(OsuGameBase osu, int expected)
+        {
+            Assert.AreEqual(expected, osu.Dependencies.Get<FileStore>().QueryFiles(f => f.ReferenceCount == 1).Count());
+        }
+
         private OsuGameBase loadOsu(GameHost host)
         {
             var osu = new OsuGameBase();
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Scores/IO/ImportScoreTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Scores/IO/ImportScoreTest.cs
index e39f18c3cd..4babb07213 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Scores/IO/ImportScoreTest.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Scores/IO/ImportScoreTest.cs
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
     public class ImportScoreTest
     {
         [Test]
-        public void TestBasicImport()
+        public async Task TestBasicImport()
         {
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestBasicImport"))
             {
                 try
                 {
-                    var osu = loadOsu(host);
+                    var osu = await loadOsu(host);
 
                     var toImport = new ScoreInfo
                     {
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
                         OnlineScoreID = 12345,
                     };
 
-                    var imported = loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
+                    var imported = await loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
 
                     Assert.AreEqual(toImport.Rank, imported.Rank);
                     Assert.AreEqual(toImport.TotalScore, imported.TotalScore);
@@ -62,20 +62,20 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportMods()
+        public async Task TestImportMods()
         {
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportMods"))
             {
                 try
                 {
-                    var osu = loadOsu(host);
+                    var osu = await loadOsu(host);
 
                     var toImport = new ScoreInfo
                     {
                         Mods = new Mod[] { new OsuModHardRock(), new OsuModDoubleTime() },
                     };
 
-                    var imported = loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
+                    var imported = await loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
 
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.Mods.Any(m => m is OsuModHardRock));
                     Assert.IsTrue(imported.Mods.Any(m => m is OsuModDoubleTime));
@@ -88,13 +88,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
         }
 
         [Test]
-        public void TestImportStatistics()
+        public async Task TestImportStatistics()
         {
             using (HeadlessGameHost host = new CleanRunHeadlessGameHost("TestImportStatistics"))
             {
                 try
                 {
-                    var osu = loadOsu(host);
+                    var osu = await loadOsu(host);
 
                     var toImport = new ScoreInfo
                     {
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
                         }
                     };
 
-                    var imported = loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
+                    var imported = await loadIntoOsu(osu, toImport);
 
                     Assert.AreEqual(toImport.Statistics[HitResult.Perfect], imported.Statistics[HitResult.Perfect]);
                     Assert.AreEqual(toImport.Statistics[HitResult.Miss], imported.Statistics[HitResult.Miss]);
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
             }
         }
 
-        private ScoreInfo loadIntoOsu(OsuGameBase osu, ScoreInfo score)
+        private async Task<ScoreInfo> loadIntoOsu(OsuGameBase osu, ScoreInfo score)
         {
             var beatmapManager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
 
@@ -125,20 +125,24 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Scores.IO
             score.Ruleset = new OsuRuleset().RulesetInfo;
 
             var scoreManager = osu.Dependencies.Get<ScoreManager>();
-            scoreManager.Import(score);
+            await scoreManager.Import(score);
 
             return scoreManager.GetAllUsableScores().First();
         }
 
-        private OsuGameBase loadOsu(GameHost host)
+        private async Task<OsuGameBase> loadOsu(GameHost host)
         {
             var osu = new OsuGameBase();
+
+#pragma warning disable 4014
             Task.Run(() => host.Run(osu));
+#pragma warning restore 4014
+
             waitForOrAssert(() => osu.IsLoaded, @"osu! failed to start in a reasonable amount of time");
 
             var beatmapFile = TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport();
             var beatmapManager = osu.Dependencies.Get<BeatmapManager>();
-            beatmapManager.Import(beatmapFile);
+            await beatmapManager.Import(beatmapFile);
 
             return osu;
         }
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Background/TestSceneBackgroundScreenBeatmap.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Background/TestSceneBackgroundScreenBeatmap.cs
index 7104a420a3..8b941e4633 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Background/TestSceneBackgroundScreenBeatmap.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/Background/TestSceneBackgroundScreenBeatmap.cs
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.Background
             Dependencies.Cache(manager = new BeatmapManager(LocalStorage, factory, rulesets, null, audio, host, Beatmap.Default));
             Dependencies.Cache(new OsuConfigManager(LocalStorage));
 
-            manager.Import(TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport());
+            manager.Import(TestResources.GetTestBeatmapForImport()).Wait();
 
             Beatmap.SetDefault();
         }
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/SongSelect/TestScenePlaySongSelect.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/SongSelect/TestScenePlaySongSelect.cs
index 2664c7a42c..f5115c50a9 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/SongSelect/TestScenePlaySongSelect.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/SongSelect/TestScenePlaySongSelect.cs
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.SongSelect
 
         private void addRulesetImportStep(int id) => AddStep($"import test map for ruleset {id}", () => importForRuleset(id));
 
-        private void importForRuleset(int id) => manager.Import(createTestBeatmapSet(getImportId(), rulesets.AvailableRulesets.Where(r => r.ID == id).ToArray()));
+        private void importForRuleset(int id) => manager.Import(createTestBeatmapSet(getImportId(), rulesets.AvailableRulesets.Where(r => r.ID == id).ToArray())).Wait();
 
         private static int importId;
         private int getImportId() => ++importId;
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.SongSelect
                 var usableRulesets = rulesets.AvailableRulesets.Where(r => r.ID != 2).ToArray();
 
                 for (int i = 0; i < 100; i += 10)
-                    manager.Import(createTestBeatmapSet(i, usableRulesets));
+                    manager.Import(createTestBeatmapSet(i, usableRulesets)).Wait();
             });
         }
 
diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/UserInterface/TestSceneUpdateableBeatmapBackgroundSprite.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/UserInterface/TestSceneUpdateableBeatmapBackgroundSprite.cs
index f59458ef8d..c361598354 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/UserInterface/TestSceneUpdateableBeatmapBackgroundSprite.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/UserInterface/TestSceneUpdateableBeatmapBackgroundSprite.cs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual.UserInterface
             this.api = api;
             this.rulesets = rulesets;
 
-            testBeatmap = ImportBeatmapTest.LoadOszIntoOsu(osu);
+            testBeatmap = ImportBeatmapTest.LoadOszIntoOsu(osu).Result;
         }
 
         [Test]
diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapInfo.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapInfo.cs
index 52238c26fe..3c082bb71e 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapInfo.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapInfo.cs
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// </summary>
         public List<ScoreInfo> Scores { get; set; }
 
-        public override string ToString() => $"{Metadata} [{Version}]";
+        public override string ToString() => $"{Metadata} [{Version}]".Trim();
 
         public bool Equals(BeatmapInfo other)
         {
diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
index b6fe7f88fa..d90657bff5 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Linq.Expressions;
+using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using osu.Framework.Audio;
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ using osu.Framework.Extensions;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics.Textures;
 using osu.Framework.Logging;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
+using osu.Framework.Threading;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps.Formats;
 using osu.Game.Database;
 using osu.Game.IO.Archives;
@@ -72,6 +74,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
 
         private readonly List<DownloadBeatmapSetRequest> currentDownloads = new List<DownloadBeatmapSetRequest>();
 
+        private readonly BeatmapUpdateQueue updateQueue;
+
         public BeatmapManager(Storage storage, IDatabaseContextFactory contextFactory, RulesetStore rulesets, IAPIProvider api, AudioManager audioManager, GameHost host = null,
                               WorkingBeatmap defaultBeatmap = null)
             : base(storage, contextFactory, new BeatmapStore(contextFactory), host)
@@ -86,9 +90,11 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             beatmaps = (BeatmapStore)ModelStore;
             beatmaps.BeatmapHidden += b => BeatmapHidden?.Invoke(b);
             beatmaps.BeatmapRestored += b => BeatmapRestored?.Invoke(b);
+
+            updateQueue = new BeatmapUpdateQueue(api);
         }
 
-        protected override void Populate(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet, ArchiveReader archive)
+        protected override Task Populate(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet, ArchiveReader archive, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
             if (archive != null)
                 beatmapSet.Beatmaps = createBeatmapDifficulties(archive);
@@ -104,8 +110,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
 
             validateOnlineIds(beatmapSet);
 
-            foreach (BeatmapInfo b in beatmapSet.Beatmaps)
-                fetchAndPopulateOnlineValues(b);
+            return updateQueue.UpdateAsync(beatmapSet, cancellationToken);
         }
 
         protected override void PreImport(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
@@ -122,7 +127,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
                 {
                     Delete(existingOnlineId);
                     beatmaps.PurgeDeletable(s => s.ID == existingOnlineId.ID);
-                    Logger.Log($"Found existing beatmap set with same OnlineBeatmapSetID ({beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID}). It has been purged.", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                    LogForModel(beatmapSet, $"Found existing beatmap set with same OnlineBeatmapSetID ({beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID}). It has been purged.");
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -181,10 +186,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
 
             request.Success += filename =>
             {
-                Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
+                Task.Factory.StartNew(async () =>
                 {
                     // This gets scheduled back to the update thread, but we want the import to run in the background.
-                    Import(downloadNotification, filename);
+                    await Import(downloadNotification, filename);
                     currentDownloads.Remove(request);
                 }, TaskCreationOptions.LongRunning);
             };
@@ -381,47 +386,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             return beatmapInfos;
         }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Query the API to populate missing values like OnlineBeatmapID / OnlineBeatmapSetID or (Rank-)Status.
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="beatmap">The beatmap to populate.</param>
-        /// <param name="force">Whether to re-query if the provided beatmap already has populated values.</param>
-        /// <returns>True if population was successful.</returns>
-        private bool fetchAndPopulateOnlineValues(BeatmapInfo beatmap, bool force = false)
-        {
-            if (api?.State != APIState.Online)
-                return false;
-
-            if (!force && beatmap.OnlineBeatmapID != null && beatmap.BeatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID != null
-                && beatmap.Status != BeatmapSetOnlineStatus.None && beatmap.BeatmapSet.Status != BeatmapSetOnlineStatus.None)
-                return true;
-
-            Logger.Log("Attempting online lookup for the missing values...", LoggingTarget.Database);
-
-            try
-            {
-                var req = new GetBeatmapRequest(beatmap);
-
-                req.Perform(api);
-
-                var res = req.Result;
-
-                Logger.Log($"Successfully mapped to {res.OnlineBeatmapSetID} / {res.OnlineBeatmapID}.", LoggingTarget.Database);
-
-                beatmap.Status = res.Status;
-                beatmap.BeatmapSet.Status = res.BeatmapSet.Status;
-                beatmap.BeatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID = res.OnlineBeatmapSetID;
-                beatmap.OnlineBeatmapID = res.OnlineBeatmapID;
-
-                return true;
-            }
-            catch (Exception e)
-            {
-                Logger.Log($"Failed ({e})", LoggingTarget.Database);
-                return false;
-            }
-        }
-
         /// <summary>
         /// A dummy WorkingBeatmap for the purpose of retrieving a beatmap for star difficulty calculation.
         /// </summary>
@@ -455,5 +419,55 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
                 public override bool IsImportant => false;
             }
         }
+
+        private class BeatmapUpdateQueue
+        {
+            private readonly IAPIProvider api;
+
+            private const int update_queue_request_concurrency = 4;
+
+            private readonly ThreadedTaskScheduler updateScheduler = new ThreadedTaskScheduler(update_queue_request_concurrency, nameof(BeatmapUpdateQueue));
+
+            public BeatmapUpdateQueue(IAPIProvider api)
+            {
+                this.api = api;
+            }
+
+            public Task UpdateAsync(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+            {
+                if (api?.State != APIState.Online)
+                    return Task.CompletedTask;
+
+                LogForModel(beatmapSet, "Performing online lookups...");
+                return Task.WhenAll(beatmapSet.Beatmaps.Select(b => UpdateAsync(beatmapSet, b, cancellationToken)).ToArray());
+            }
+
+            // todo: expose this when we need to do individual difficulty lookups.
+            protected Task UpdateAsync(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet, BeatmapInfo beatmap, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+                => Task.Factory.StartNew(() => update(beatmapSet, beatmap), cancellationToken, TaskCreationOptions.HideScheduler, updateScheduler);
+
+            private void update(BeatmapSetInfo set, BeatmapInfo beatmap)
+            {
+                if (api?.State != APIState.Online)
+                    return;
+
+                var req = new GetBeatmapRequest(beatmap);
+
+                req.Success += res =>
+                {
+                    LogForModel(set, $"Online retrieval mapped {beatmap} to {res.OnlineBeatmapSetID} / {res.OnlineBeatmapID}.");
+
+                    beatmap.Status = res.Status;
+                    beatmap.BeatmapSet.Status = res.BeatmapSet.Status;
+                    beatmap.BeatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID = res.OnlineBeatmapSetID;
+                    beatmap.OnlineBeatmapID = res.OnlineBeatmapID;
+                };
+
+                req.Failure += e => { LogForModel(set, $"Online retrieval failed for {beatmap}", e); };
+
+                // intentionally blocking to limit web request concurrency
+                req.Perform(api);
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/ArchiveModelManager.cs b/osu.Game/Database/ArchiveModelManager.cs
index b5a9c70e47..20919f0899 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/ArchiveModelManager.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/ArchiveModelManager.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using JetBrains.Annotations;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ using osu.Framework.Extensions;
 using osu.Framework.IO.File;
 using osu.Framework.Logging;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
+using osu.Framework.Threading;
 using osu.Game.IO;
 using osu.Game.IO.Archives;
 using osu.Game.IPC;
@@ -29,7 +31,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
     /// </summary>
     /// <typeparam name="TModel">The model type.</typeparam>
     /// <typeparam name="TFileModel">The associated file join type.</typeparam>
-    public abstract class ArchiveModelManager<TModel, TFileModel> : ICanAcceptFiles
+    public abstract class ArchiveModelManager<TModel, TFileModel> : ArchiveModelManager, ICanAcceptFiles
         where TModel : class, IHasFiles<TFileModel>, IHasPrimaryKey, ISoftDelete
         where TFileModel : INamedFileInfo, new()
     {
@@ -130,56 +132,50 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// This will post notifications tracking progress.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="paths">One or more archive locations on disk.</param>
-        public void Import(params string[] paths)
+        public Task Import(params string[] paths)
         {
             var notification = new ProgressNotification { State = ProgressNotificationState.Active };
 
             PostNotification?.Invoke(notification);
-            Import(notification, paths);
+
+            return Import(notification, paths);
         }
 
-        protected void Import(ProgressNotification notification, params string[] paths)
+        protected async Task Import(ProgressNotification notification, params string[] paths)
         {
             notification.Progress = 0;
             notification.Text = "Import is initialising...";
 
-            var term = $"{typeof(TModel).Name.Replace("Info", "").ToLower()}";
-
-            List<TModel> imported = new List<TModel>();
-
             int current = 0;
 
-            foreach (string path in paths)
+            var imported = new List<TModel>();
+
+            await Task.WhenAll(paths.Select(async path =>
             {
-                if (notification.State == ProgressNotificationState.Cancelled)
-                    // user requested abort
-                    return;
+                notification.CancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
 
                 try
                 {
-                    var text = "Importing ";
+                    var model = await Import(path, notification.CancellationToken);
 
-                    if (path.Length > 1)
-                        text += $"{++current} of {paths.Length} {term}s..";
-                    else
-                        text += $"{term}..";
+                    lock (imported)
+                    {
+                        imported.Add(model);
+                        current++;
 
-                    // only show the filename if it isn't a temporary one (as those look ugly).
-                    if (!path.Contains(Path.GetTempPath()))
-                        text += $"\n{Path.GetFileName(path)}";
-
-                    notification.Text = text;
-
-                    imported.Add(Import(path));
-
-                    notification.Progress = (float)current / paths.Length;
+                        notification.Text = $"Imported {current} of {paths.Length} {humanisedModelName}s";
+                        notification.Progress = (float)current / paths.Length;
+                    }
+                }
+                catch (TaskCanceledException)
+                {
+                    throw;
                 }
                 catch (Exception e)
                 {
-                    e = e.InnerException ?? e;
-                    Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not import ({Path.GetFileName(path)})");
+                    Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not import ({Path.GetFileName(path)})", LoggingTarget.Database);
                 }
-            }
+            }));
 
             if (imported.Count == 0)
             {
@@ -190,7 +186,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
             {
                 notification.CompletionText = imported.Count == 1
                     ? $"Imported {imported.First()}!"
-                    : $"Imported {current} {term}s!";
+                    : $"Imported {current} {humanisedModelName}s!";
 
                 if (imported.Count > 0 && PresentImport != null)
                 {
@@ -210,12 +206,15 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// Import one <see cref="TModel"/> from the filesystem and delete the file on success.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="path">The archive location on disk.</param>
+        /// <param name="cancellationToken">An optional cancellation token.</param>
         /// <returns>The imported model, if successful.</returns>
-        public TModel Import(string path)
+        public async Task<TModel> Import(string path, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
+            cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+
             TModel import;
             using (ArchiveReader reader = getReaderFrom(path))
-                import = Import(reader);
+                import = await Import(reader, cancellationToken);
 
             // We may or may not want to delete the file depending on where it is stored.
             //  e.g. reconstructing/repairing database with items from default storage.
@@ -228,7 +227,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
             }
             catch (Exception e)
             {
-                Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not delete original file after import ({Path.GetFileName(path)})");
+                LogForModel(import, $@"Could not delete original file after import ({Path.GetFileName(path)})", e);
             }
 
             return import;
@@ -243,23 +242,32 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// Import an item from an <see cref="ArchiveReader"/>.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="archive">The archive to be imported.</param>
-        public TModel Import(ArchiveReader archive)
+        /// <param name="cancellationToken">An optional cancellation token.</param>
+        public Task<TModel> Import(ArchiveReader archive, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
+            cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+
+            TModel model = null;
+
             try
             {
-                var model = CreateModel(archive);
+                model = CreateModel(archive);
 
                 if (model == null) return null;
 
                 model.Hash = computeHash(archive);
-
-                return Import(model, archive);
+            }
+            catch (TaskCanceledException)
+            {
+                throw;
             }
             catch (Exception e)
             {
-                Logger.Error(e, $"Model creation of {archive.Name} failed.", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                LogForModel(model, $"Model creation of {archive.Name} failed.", e);
                 return null;
             }
+
+            return Import(model, archive, cancellationToken);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -269,6 +277,16 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// </summary>
         protected abstract string[] HashableFileTypes { get; }
 
+        protected static void LogForModel(TModel model, string message, Exception e = null)
+        {
+            string prefix = $"[{(model?.Hash ?? "?????").Substring(0, 5)}]";
+
+            if (e != null)
+                Logger.Error(e, $"{prefix} {message}", LoggingTarget.Database);
+            else
+                Logger.Log($"{prefix} {message}", LoggingTarget.Database);
+        }
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Create a SHA-2 hash from the provided archive based on file content of all files matching <see cref="HashableFileTypes"/>.
         /// </summary>
@@ -288,13 +306,30 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="item">The model to be imported.</param>
         /// <param name="archive">An optional archive to use for model population.</param>
-        public TModel Import(TModel item, ArchiveReader archive = null)
+        /// <param name="cancellationToken">An optional cancellation token.</param>
+        public async Task<TModel> Import(TModel item, ArchiveReader archive = null, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default) => await Task.Factory.StartNew(async () =>
         {
+            cancellationToken.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
+
             delayEvents();
 
+            void rollback()
+            {
+                if (!Delete(item))
+                {
+                    // We may have not yet added the model to the underlying table, but should still clean up files.
+                    LogForModel(item, "Dereferencing files for incomplete import.");
+                    Files.Dereference(item.Files.Select(f => f.FileInfo).ToArray());
+                }
+            }
+
             try
             {
-                Logger.Log($"Importing {item}...", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                LogForModel(item, "Beginning import...");
+
+                item.Files = archive != null ? createFileInfos(archive, Files) : new List<TFileModel>();
+
+                await Populate(item, archive, cancellationToken);
 
                 using (var write = ContextFactory.GetForWrite()) // used to share a context for full import. keep in mind this will block all writes.
                 {
@@ -302,11 +337,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
                     {
                         if (!write.IsTransactionLeader) throw new InvalidOperationException($"Ensure there is no parent transaction so errors can correctly be handled by {this}");
 
-                        if (archive != null)
-                            item.Files = createFileInfos(archive, Files);
-
-                        Populate(item, archive);
-
                         var existing = CheckForExisting(item);
 
                         if (existing != null)
@@ -314,15 +344,17 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
                             if (CanUndelete(existing, item))
                             {
                                 Undelete(existing);
-                                Logger.Log($"Found existing {typeof(TModel)} for {item} (ID {existing.ID}). Skipping import.", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                                LogForModel(item, $"Found existing {humanisedModelName} for {item} (ID {existing.ID}) – skipping import.");
                                 handleEvent(() => ItemAdded?.Invoke(existing, true));
+
+                                // existing item will be used; rollback new import and exit early.
+                                rollback();
+                                flushEvents(true);
                                 return existing;
                             }
-                            else
-                            {
-                                Delete(existing);
-                                ModelStore.PurgeDeletable(s => s.ID == existing.ID);
-                            }
+
+                            Delete(existing);
+                            ModelStore.PurgeDeletable(s => s.ID == existing.ID);
                         }
 
                         PreImport(item);
@@ -337,21 +369,21 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
                     }
                 }
 
-                Logger.Log($"Import of {item} successfully completed!", LoggingTarget.Database);
+                LogForModel(item, "Import successfully completed!");
             }
             catch (Exception e)
             {
-                Logger.Error(e, $"Import of {item} failed and has been rolled back.", LoggingTarget.Database);
-                item = null;
-            }
-            finally
-            {
-                // we only want to flush events after we've confirmed the write context didn't have any errors.
-                flushEvents(item != null);
+                if (!(e is TaskCanceledException))
+                    LogForModel(item, "Database import or population failed and has been rolled back.", e);
+
+                rollback();
+                flushEvents(false);
+                throw;
             }
 
+            flushEvents(true);
             return item;
-        }
+        }, cancellationToken, TaskCreationOptions.HideScheduler, IMPORT_SCHEDULER).Unwrap();
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Perform an update of the specified item.
@@ -534,7 +566,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
                 return Task.CompletedTask;
             }
 
-            return Task.Factory.StartNew(() => Import(stable.GetDirectories(ImportFromStablePath).Select(f => stable.GetFullPath(f)).ToArray()), TaskCreationOptions.LongRunning);
+            return Task.Run(async () => await Import(stable.GetDirectories(ImportFromStablePath).Select(f => stable.GetFullPath(f)).ToArray()));
         }
 
         #endregion
@@ -553,9 +585,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="model">The model to populate.</param>
         /// <param name="archive">The archive to use as a reference for population. May be null.</param>
-        protected virtual void Populate(TModel model, [CanBeNull] ArchiveReader archive)
-        {
-        }
+        /// <param name="cancellationToken">An optional cancellation token.</param>
+        protected virtual Task Populate(TModel model, [CanBeNull] ArchiveReader archive, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default) => Task.CompletedTask;
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Perform any final actions before the import to database executes.
@@ -583,6 +614,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
 
         private DbSet<TModel> queryModel() => ContextFactory.Get().Set<TModel>();
 
+        private string humanisedModelName => $"{typeof(TModel).Name.Replace("Info", "").ToLower()}";
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates an <see cref="ArchiveReader"/> from a valid storage path.
         /// </summary>
@@ -600,4 +633,18 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
             throw new InvalidFormatException($"{path} is not a valid archive");
         }
     }
+
+    public abstract class ArchiveModelManager
+    {
+        private const int import_queue_request_concurrency = 1;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// A singleton scheduler shared by all <see cref="ArchiveModelManager{TModel,TFileModel}"/>.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// This scheduler generally performs IO and CPU intensive work so concurrency is limited harshly.
+        /// It is mainly being used as a queue mechanism for large imports.
+        /// </remarks>
+        protected static readonly ThreadedTaskScheduler IMPORT_SCHEDULER = new ThreadedTaskScheduler(import_queue_request_concurrency, nameof(ArchiveModelManager));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/ICanAcceptFiles.cs b/osu.Game/Database/ICanAcceptFiles.cs
index f55d0c389e..b9f882468d 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/ICanAcceptFiles.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/ICanAcceptFiles.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // Copyright (c) ppy Pty Ltd <contact@ppy.sh>. Licensed under the MIT Licence.
 // See the LICENCE file in the repository root for full licence text.
 
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
+
 namespace osu.Game.Database
 {
     /// <summary>
@@ -12,7 +14,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// Import the specified paths.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="paths">The files which should be imported.</param>
-        void Import(params string[] paths);
+        Task Import(params string[] paths);
 
         /// <summary>
         /// An array of accepted file extensions (in the standard format of ".abc").
diff --git a/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs b/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
index 458f8964f9..370d6786f5 100644
--- a/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@
 // See the LICENCE file in the repository root for full licence text.
 
 using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Linq.Expressions;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using osu.Framework.Extensions;
 using osu.Framework.IO.Stores;
 using osu.Framework.Logging;
@@ -27,6 +30,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.IO
             Store = new StorageBackedResourceStore(Storage);
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Perform a lookup query on available <see cref="FileInfo"/>s.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <param name="query">The query.</param>
+        /// <returns>Results from the provided query.</returns>
+        public IEnumerable<FileInfo> QueryFiles(Expression<Func<FileInfo, bool>> query) => ContextFactory.Get().Set<FileInfo>().AsNoTracking().Where(f => f.ReferenceCount > 0).Where(query);
+
         public FileInfo Add(Stream data, bool reference = true)
         {
             using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
diff --git a/osu.Game/IPC/ArchiveImportIPCChannel.cs b/osu.Game/IPC/ArchiveImportIPCChannel.cs
index fc747cd446..484db932f8 100644
--- a/osu.Game/IPC/ArchiveImportIPCChannel.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/IPC/ArchiveImportIPCChannel.cs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.IPC
             }
 
             if (importer.HandledExtensions.Contains(Path.GetExtension(path)?.ToLowerInvariant()))
-                importer.Import(path);
+                await importer.Import(path);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
index f9128687d6..d6b8caaf5b 100644
--- a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Reflection;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
 using osu.Framework.Audio;
 using osu.Framework.Bindables;
@@ -268,13 +269,13 @@ namespace osu.Game
 
         private readonly List<ICanAcceptFiles> fileImporters = new List<ICanAcceptFiles>();
 
-        public void Import(params string[] paths)
+        public async Task Import(params string[] paths)
         {
             var extension = Path.GetExtension(paths.First())?.ToLowerInvariant();
 
             foreach (var importer in fileImporters)
                 if (importer.HandledExtensions.Contains(extension))
-                    importer.Import(paths);
+                    await importer.Import(paths);
         }
 
         public string[] HandledExtensions => fileImporters.SelectMany(i => i.HandledExtensions).ToArray();
diff --git a/osu.Game/Overlays/Notifications/ProgressNotification.cs b/osu.Game/Overlays/Notifications/ProgressNotification.cs
index 857a0bda9e..c8e081d29f 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Overlays/Notifications/ProgressNotification.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Overlays/Notifications/ProgressNotification.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // See the LICENCE file in the repository root for full licence text.
 
 using System;
+using System.Threading;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics.Containers;
@@ -36,6 +37,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Overlays.Notifications
             State = state;
         }
 
+        private readonly CancellationTokenSource cancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
+
+        public CancellationToken CancellationToken => cancellationTokenSource.Token;
+
         public virtual ProgressNotificationState State
         {
             get => state;
@@ -62,6 +67,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Overlays.Notifications
                                 break;
 
                             case ProgressNotificationState.Cancelled:
+                                cancellationTokenSource.Cancel();
+
                                 Light.Colour = colourCancelled;
                                 Light.Pulsate = false;
                                 progressBar.Active = false;
diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/Menu/Intro.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/Menu/Intro.cs
index 98a2fe8f13..cf5d247482 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/Menu/Intro.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Screens/Menu/Intro.cs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.Menu
                 if (setInfo == null)
                 {
                     // we need to import the default menu background beatmap
-                    setInfo = beatmaps.Import(new ZipArchiveReader(game.Resources.GetStream(@"Tracks/circles.osz"), "circles.osz"));
+                    setInfo = beatmaps.Import(new ZipArchiveReader(game.Resources.GetStream(@"Tracks/circles.osz"), "circles.osz")).Result;
 
                     setInfo.Protected = true;
                     beatmaps.Update(setInfo);
diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/Play/Player.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/Play/Player.cs
index 35ef7b3200..d69d64c2b1 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/Play/Player.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Screens/Play/Player.cs
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.Play
 
                     var score = CreateScore();
                     if (DrawableRuleset.ReplayScore == null)
-                        scoreManager.Import(score);
+                        scoreManager.Import(score).Wait();
 
                     this.Push(CreateResults(score));
 
diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/Select/SongSelect.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/Select/SongSelect.cs
index d0645dbab6..f9df8c3a39 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/Select/SongSelect.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Screens/Select/SongSelect.cs
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ using osuTK.Input;
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics.Sprites;
 
 namespace osu.Game.Screens.Select
@@ -256,8 +257,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.Select
                     if (!beatmaps.GetAllUsableBeatmapSets().Any() && beatmaps.StableInstallationAvailable)
                         dialogOverlay.Push(new ImportFromStablePopup(() =>
                         {
-                            beatmaps.ImportFromStableAsync();
-                            skins.ImportFromStableAsync();
+                            Task.Run(beatmaps.ImportFromStableAsync);
+                            Task.Run(skins.ImportFromStableAsync);
                         }));
                 });
             }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinManager.cs b/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinManager.cs
index 3a4d44f608..73cc47ea47 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinManager.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinManager.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Linq.Expressions;
+using System.Threading;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using osu.Framework.Audio;
 using osu.Framework.Audio.Sample;
@@ -71,9 +73,9 @@ namespace osu.Game.Skinning
 
         protected override SkinInfo CreateModel(ArchiveReader archive) => new SkinInfo { Name = archive.Name };
 
-        protected override void Populate(SkinInfo model, ArchiveReader archive)
+        protected override async Task Populate(SkinInfo model, ArchiveReader archive, CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
         {
-            base.Populate(model, archive);
+            await base.Populate(model, archive, cancellationToken);
 
             Skin reference = getSkin(model);