diff --git a/osu.Game/Rulesets/UI/Playfield.cs b/osu.Game/Rulesets/UI/Playfield.cs
index f2c9b49900..43999e3d29 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Rulesets/UI/Playfield.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Rulesets/UI/Playfield.cs
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 // Copyright (c) 2007-2018 ppy Pty Ltd <contact@ppy.sh>.
 // Licensed under the MIT Licence - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ppy/osu/master/LICENCE
 
+using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics;
 using osu.Game.Rulesets.Objects.Drawables;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
+using osu.Framework.Extensions.IEnumerableExtensions;
 
 namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.UI
 {
@@ -15,11 +18,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.UI
         /// </summary>
         public HitObjectContainer HitObjects { get; private set; }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// All the <see cref="Playfield"/>s nested inside this playfield.
-        /// </summary>
-        public IReadOnlyList<Playfield> NestedPlayfields => nestedPlayfields;
-        private List<Playfield> nestedPlayfields;
+        private readonly Lazy<List<Playfield>> nestedPlayfields = new Lazy<List<Playfield>>();
+        public IEnumerable<Playfield> NestedPlayfields => nestedPlayfields.IsValueCreated ? nestedPlayfields.Value : Enumerable.Empty<Playfield>();
 
         /// <summary>
         /// A container for keeping track of DrawableHitObjects.
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.UI
         /// <summary>
         /// Performs post-processing tasks (if any) after all DrawableHitObjects are loaded into this Playfield.
         /// </summary>
-        public virtual void PostProcess() => nestedPlayfields?.ForEach(p => p.PostProcess());
+        public virtual void PostProcess() => NestedPlayfields.ForEach(p => p.PostProcess());
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Adds a DrawableHitObject to this Playfield.
@@ -67,13 +67,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.UI
         /// This does not add the <see cref="Playfield"/> to the draw hierarchy.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="otherPlayfield">The <see cref="Playfield"/> to add.</param>
-        protected void AddNested(Playfield otherPlayfield)
-        {
-            if (nestedPlayfields == null)
-                nestedPlayfields = new List<Playfield>();
-
-            nestedPlayfields.Add(otherPlayfield);
-        }
+        protected void AddNested(Playfield otherPlayfield) => nestedPlayfields.Value.Add(otherPlayfield);
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates the container that will be used to contain the <see cref="DrawableHitObject"/>s.