diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporterTest.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporterTest.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2af46374fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporterTest.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+// 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.Collections.Generic;
+using System.IO;
+using System.Linq;
+using NUnit.Framework;
+using osu.Framework.Platform;
+using osu.Framework.Testing;
+using osu.Game.Database;
+using osu.Game.IO;
+
+namespace osu.Game.Tests.Database
+{
+    [TestFixture]
+    public class LegacyBeatmapImporterTest
+    {
+        private readonly TestLegacyBeatmapImporter importer = new TestLegacyBeatmapImporter();
+
+        [Test]
+        public void TestSongsSubdirectories()
+        {
+            using (var storage = new TemporaryNativeStorage("stable-songs-folder"))
+            {
+                var songsStorage = storage.GetStorageForDirectory(StableStorage.STABLE_DEFAULT_SONGS_PATH);
+
+                // normal beatmap folder
+                var beatmap1 = songsStorage.GetStorageForDirectory("beatmap1");
+                createFile(beatmap1, "beatmap.osu");
+
+                // songs subdirectory
+                var subdirectory = songsStorage.GetStorageForDirectory("subdirectory");
+                createFile(subdirectory, Path.Combine("beatmap2", "beatmap.osu"));
+                createFile(subdirectory, Path.Combine("beatmap3", "beatmap.osu"));
+                createFile(subdirectory, Path.Combine("sub-subdirectory", "beatmap4", "beatmap.osu"));
+
+                // songs subdirectory with system file
+                var subdirectory2 = songsStorage.GetStorageForDirectory("subdirectory2");
+                createFile(subdirectory2, ".DS_Store");
+                createFile(subdirectory2, Path.Combine("beatmap5", "beatmap.osu"));
+                createFile(subdirectory2, Path.Combine("beatmap6", "beatmap.osu"));
+
+                // empty songs subdirectory
+                songsStorage.GetStorageForDirectory("subdirectory3");
+
+                string[] paths = importer.GetStableImportPaths(songsStorage).ToArray();
+                Assert.That(paths.Length, Is.EqualTo(6));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath("beatmap1")));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath(Path.Combine("subdirectory", "beatmap2"))));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath(Path.Combine("subdirectory", "beatmap3"))));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath(Path.Combine("subdirectory", "sub-subdirectory", "beatmap4"))));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath(Path.Combine("subdirectory2", "beatmap5"))));
+                Assert.That(paths.Contains(songsStorage.GetFullPath(Path.Combine("subdirectory2", "beatmap6"))));
+            }
+
+            static void createFile(Storage storage, string path)
+            {
+                using (var stream = storage.CreateFileSafely(path))
+                    stream.WriteByte(0);
+            }
+        }
+
+        private class TestLegacyBeatmapImporter : LegacyBeatmapImporter
+        {
+            public TestLegacyBeatmapImporter()
+                : base(null)
+            {
+            }
+
+            public new IEnumerable<string> GetStableImportPaths(Storage storage) => base.GetStableImportPaths(storage);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporter.cs b/osu.Game/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporter.cs
index 97f6eba6c2..3477312154 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporter.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/LegacyBeatmapImporter.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 // 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.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using osu.Framework.IO.Stores;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps;
 using osu.Game.IO;
@@ -13,6 +16,24 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
 
         protected override Storage PrepareStableStorage(StableStorage stableStorage) => stableStorage.GetSongStorage();
 
+        protected override IEnumerable<string> GetStableImportPaths(Storage storage)
+        {
+            foreach (string directory in storage.GetDirectories(string.Empty))
+            {
+                var directoryStorage = storage.GetStorageForDirectory(directory);
+
+                if (!directoryStorage.GetFiles(string.Empty).ExcludeSystemFileNames().Any())
+                {
+                    // if a directory doesn't contain files, attempt looking for beatmaps inside of that directory.
+                    // this is a special behaviour in stable for beatmaps only, see https://github.com/ppy/osu/issues/18615.
+                    foreach (string subDirectory in GetStableImportPaths(directoryStorage))
+                        yield return subDirectory;
+                }
+                else
+                    yield return storage.GetFullPath(directory);
+            }
+        }
+
         public LegacyBeatmapImporter(IModelImporter<BeatmapSetInfo> importer)
             : base(importer)
         {
diff --git a/osu.Game/IO/StableStorage.cs b/osu.Game/IO/StableStorage.cs
index 84b7da91fc..d4ff8fcdda 100644
--- a/osu.Game/IO/StableStorage.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/IO/StableStorage.cs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.IO
     /// </summary>
     public class StableStorage : DesktopStorage
     {
-        private const string stable_default_songs_path = "Songs";
+        public const string STABLE_DEFAULT_SONGS_PATH = "Songs";
 
         private readonly DesktopGameHost host;
         private readonly Lazy<string> songsPath;
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.IO
                 }
             }
 
-            return GetFullPath(stable_default_songs_path);
+            return GetFullPath(STABLE_DEFAULT_SONGS_PATH);
         }
     }
 }