diff --git a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/TestCasePlaySongSelect.cs b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/TestCasePlaySongSelect.cs
index 809de2b8db..f54eb77c6b 100644
--- a/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/TestCasePlaySongSelect.cs
+++ b/osu.Game.Tests/Visual/TestCasePlaySongSelect.cs
@@ -63,12 +63,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Tests.Visual
             var storage = new TestStorage(@"TestCasePlaySongSelect");
 
             // this is by no means clean. should be replacing inside of OsuGameBase somehow.
-            var context = new OsuDbContext();
+            DatabaseContextFactory factory = new SingletonContextFactory(new OsuDbContext());
 
-            OsuDbContext contextFactory() => context;
-
-            dependencies.Cache(rulesets = new RulesetStore(contextFactory));
-            dependencies.Cache(manager = new BeatmapManager(storage, contextFactory, rulesets, null)
+            dependencies.Cache(rulesets = new RulesetStore(factory));
+            dependencies.Cache(manager = new BeatmapManager(storage, factory, rulesets, null)
             {
                 DefaultBeatmap = defaultBeatmap = game.Beatmap.Default
             });
diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
index cbaa8a1066..4ec153c78f 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapManager.cs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// </summary>
         public WorkingBeatmap DefaultBeatmap { private get; set; }
 
-        private readonly Func<OsuDbContext> createContext;
+        private readonly DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory;
 
         private readonly FileStore files;
 
@@ -85,29 +85,18 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// </summary>
         public Func<Storage> GetStableStorage { private get; set; }
 
-        private void refreshImportContext()
+        public BeatmapManager(Storage storage, DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory, RulesetStore rulesets, APIAccess api, IIpcHost importHost = null)
         {
-            lock (importContextLock)
-            {
-                importContext?.Value?.Dispose();
+            this.contextFactory = contextFactory;
 
-                importContext = new Lazy<OsuDbContext>(() =>
-                {
-                    var c = createContext();
-                    c.Database.AutoTransactionsEnabled = false;
-                    return c;
-                });
-            }
-        }
+            beatmaps = new BeatmapStore(contextFactory);
 
-        public BeatmapManager(Storage storage, Func<OsuDbContext> context, RulesetStore rulesets, APIAccess api, IIpcHost importHost = null)
-        {
-            createContext = context;
+            beatmaps.BeatmapSetAdded += s => BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(s);
+            beatmaps.BeatmapSetRemoved += s => BeatmapSetRemoved?.Invoke(s);
+            beatmaps.BeatmapHidden += b => BeatmapHidden?.Invoke(b);
+            beatmaps.BeatmapRestored += b => BeatmapRestored?.Invoke(b);
 
-            refreshImportContext();
-
-            beatmaps = getBeatmapStoreWithContext(context);
-            files = new FileStore(context, storage);
+            files = new FileStore(contextFactory, storage);
 
             this.rulesets = rulesets;
             this.api = api;
@@ -170,7 +159,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
                 {
                     e = e.InnerException ?? e;
                     Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not import beatmap set ({Path.GetFileName(path)})");
-                    refreshImportContext();
                 }
             }
 
@@ -178,80 +166,57 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             return imported;
         }
 
-        private readonly object importContextLock = new object();
-        private Lazy<OsuDbContext> importContext;
-
         /// <summary>
         /// Import a beatmap from an <see cref="ArchiveReader"/>.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="archive">The beatmap to be imported.</param>
         public BeatmapSetInfo Import(ArchiveReader archive)
         {
-            // let's only allow one concurrent import at a time for now
-            lock (importContextLock)
+            using ( contextFactory.GetForWrite()) // used to share a context for full import. keep in mind this will block all writes.
             {
-                var context = importContext.Value;
+                // create a new set info (don't yet add to database)
+                var beatmapSet = createBeatmapSetInfo(archive);
 
-                using (var transaction = context.BeginTransaction())
+                // check if this beatmap has already been imported and exit early if so
+                var existingHashMatch = beatmaps.BeatmapSets.FirstOrDefault(b => b.Hash == beatmapSet.Hash);
+                if (existingHashMatch != null)
                 {
-                    // create a new set info (don't yet add to database)
-                    var beatmapSet = createBeatmapSetInfo(archive);
-
-                    // check if this beatmap has already been imported and exit early if so
-                    var existingHashMatch = beatmaps.BeatmapSets.FirstOrDefault(b => b.Hash == beatmapSet.Hash);
-                    if (existingHashMatch != null)
-                    {
-                        undelete(beatmaps, files, existingHashMatch);
-                        return existingHashMatch;
-                    }
-
-                    // check if a set already exists with the same online id
-                    if (beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID != null)
-                    {
-                        var existingOnlineId = beatmaps.BeatmapSets.FirstOrDefault(b => b.OnlineBeatmapSetID == beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID);
-                        if (existingOnlineId != null)
-                        {
-                            // {Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbUpdateConcurrencyException: Database operation expected to affect 1 row(s) but actually affected 0 row(s). Data may have been modified or deleted since entities were loaded. See http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=527962…}
-
-                            Delete(existingOnlineId);
-                            beatmaps.Cleanup(s => s.ID == existingOnlineId.ID);
-                        }
-                    }
-
-                    beatmapSet.Files = createFileInfos(archive, getFileStoreWithContext(context));
-                    beatmapSet.Beatmaps = createBeatmapDifficulties(archive);
-
-                    // remove metadata from difficulties where it matches the set
-                    foreach (BeatmapInfo b in beatmapSet.Beatmaps)
-                        if (beatmapSet.Metadata.Equals(b.Metadata))
-                            b.Metadata = null;
-
-                    // import to beatmap store
-                    import(beatmapSet, context);
-
-                    context.SaveChanges(transaction);
-                    return beatmapSet;
+                    undelete(existingHashMatch);
+                    return existingHashMatch;
                 }
+
+                // check if a set already exists with the same online id
+                if (beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID != null)
+                {
+                    var existingOnlineId = beatmaps.BeatmapSets.FirstOrDefault(b => b.OnlineBeatmapSetID == beatmapSet.OnlineBeatmapSetID);
+                    if (existingOnlineId != null)
+                    {
+                        // {Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.DbUpdateConcurrencyException: Database operation expected to affect 1 row(s) but actually affected 0 row(s). Data may have been modified or deleted since entities were loaded. See http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=527962…}
+
+                        Delete(existingOnlineId);
+                        beatmaps.Cleanup(s => s.ID == existingOnlineId.ID);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                beatmapSet.Files = createFileInfos(archive, files);
+                beatmapSet.Beatmaps = createBeatmapDifficulties(archive);
+
+                // remove metadata from difficulties where it matches the set
+                foreach (BeatmapInfo b in beatmapSet.Beatmaps)
+                    if (beatmapSet.Metadata.Equals(b.Metadata))
+                        b.Metadata = null;
+
+                // import to beatmap store
+                Import(beatmapSet);
+                return beatmapSet;
             }
         }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Import a beatmap from a <see cref="BeatmapSetInfo"/>.
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="beatmapSetInfo">The beatmap to be imported.</param>
-        public void Import(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSetInfo)
-        {
-            lock (importContextLock)
-            {
-                var context = importContext.Value;
-
-                using (var transaction = context.BeginTransaction())
-                {
-                    import(beatmapSetInfo, context);
-                    context.SaveChanges(transaction);
-                }
-            }
-        }
+        /// <param name="beatmapSet">The beatmap to be imported.</param>
+        public void Import(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet) => beatmaps.Add(beatmapSet);
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Downloads a beatmap.
@@ -350,26 +315,22 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <param name="beatmapSet">The beatmap set to delete.</param>
         public void Delete(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
         {
-            lock (importContextLock)
+            using (var db = contextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                var context = importContext.Value;
+                var context = db.Context;
 
-                using (var transaction = context.BeginTransaction())
+                context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = false;
+
+                // re-fetch the beatmap set on the import context.
+                beatmapSet = context.BeatmapSetInfo.Include(s => s.Files).ThenInclude(f => f.FileInfo).First(s => s.ID == beatmapSet.ID);
+
+                if (beatmaps.Delete(beatmapSet))
                 {
-                    context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = false;
-
-                    // re-fetch the beatmap set on the import context.
-                    beatmapSet = context.BeatmapSetInfo.Include(s => s.Files).ThenInclude(f => f.FileInfo).First(s => s.ID == beatmapSet.ID);
-
-                    if (getBeatmapStoreWithContext(context).Delete(beatmapSet))
-                    {
-                        if (!beatmapSet.Protected)
-                            getFileStoreWithContext(context).Dereference(beatmapSet.Files.Select(f => f.FileInfo).ToArray());
-                    }
-
-                    context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = true;
-                    context.SaveChanges(transaction);
+                    if (!beatmapSet.Protected)
+                        files.Dereference(beatmapSet.Files.Select(f => f.FileInfo).ToArray());
                 }
+
+                context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = true;
             }
         }
 
@@ -417,19 +378,11 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             if (beatmapSet.Protected)
                 return;
 
-            lock (importContextLock)
+            using (var db = contextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                var context = importContext.Value;
-
-                using (var transaction = context.BeginTransaction())
-                {
-                    context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = false;
-
-                    undelete(getBeatmapStoreWithContext(context), getFileStoreWithContext(context), beatmapSet);
-
-                    context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = true;
-                    context.SaveChanges(transaction);
-                }
+                db.Context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = false;
+                undelete(beatmapSet);
+                db.Context.ChangeTracker.AutoDetectChangesEnabled = true;
             }
         }
 
@@ -452,7 +405,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <param name="beatmaps">The store to restore beatmaps from.</param>
         /// <param name="files">The store to restore beatmap files from.</param>
         /// <param name="beatmapSet">The beatmap to restore.</param>
-        private void undelete(BeatmapStore beatmaps, FileStore files, BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
+        private void undelete(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
         {
             if (!beatmaps.Undelete(beatmapSet)) return;
 
@@ -578,11 +531,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
             notification.State = ProgressNotificationState.Completed;
         }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Import a <see cref="BeatmapSetInfo"/> into the beatmap store.
-        /// </summary>
-        private void import(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet, OsuDbContext context) => getBeatmapStoreWithContext(context).Add(beatmapSet);
-
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates an <see cref="ArchiveReader"/> from a valid storage path.
         /// </summary>
@@ -689,19 +637,5 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
 
             return beatmapInfos;
         }
-
-        private FileStore getFileStoreWithContext(OsuDbContext context) => new FileStore(() => context, files.Storage);
-
-        private BeatmapStore getBeatmapStoreWithContext(OsuDbContext context) => getBeatmapStoreWithContext(() => context);
-
-        private BeatmapStore getBeatmapStoreWithContext(Func<OsuDbContext> context)
-        {
-            var store = new BeatmapStore(context);
-            store.BeatmapSetAdded += s => BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(s);
-            store.BeatmapSetRemoved += s => BeatmapSetRemoved?.Invoke(s);
-            store.BeatmapHidden += b => BeatmapHidden?.Invoke(b);
-            store.BeatmapRestored += b => BeatmapRestored?.Invoke(b);
-            return store;
-        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapStore.cs b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapStore.cs
index f2c3eddec9..67a2bbbd90 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Beatmaps/BeatmapStore.cs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         public event Action<BeatmapInfo> BeatmapHidden;
         public event Action<BeatmapInfo> BeatmapRestored;
 
-        public BeatmapStore(Func<OsuDbContext> factory)
+        public BeatmapStore(DatabaseContextFactory factory)
             : base(factory)
         {
         }
@@ -31,24 +31,25 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <param name="beatmapSet">The beatmap to add.</param>
         public void Add(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            foreach (var beatmap in beatmapSet.Beatmaps.Where(b => b.Metadata != null))
+            using (var db = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                // If we detect a new metadata object it'll be attached to the current context so it can be reused
-                // to prevent duplicate entries when persisting. To accomplish this we look in the cache (.Local)
-                // of the corresponding table (.Set<BeatmapMetadata>()) for matching entries to our criteria.
-                var contextMetadata = context.Set<BeatmapMetadata>().Local.SingleOrDefault(e => e.Equals(beatmap.Metadata));
-                if (contextMetadata != null)
-                    beatmap.Metadata = contextMetadata;
-                else
-                    context.BeatmapMetadata.Attach(beatmap.Metadata);
+                var context = db.Context;
+
+                foreach (var beatmap in beatmapSet.Beatmaps.Where(b => b.Metadata != null))
+                {
+                    // If we detect a new metadata object it'll be attached to the current context so it can be reused
+                    // to prevent duplicate entries when persisting. To accomplish this we look in the cache (.Local)
+                    // of the corresponding table (.Set<BeatmapMetadata>()) for matching entries to our criteria.
+                    var contextMetadata = context.Set<BeatmapMetadata>().Local.SingleOrDefault(e => e.Equals(beatmap.Metadata));
+                    if (contextMetadata != null)
+                        beatmap.Metadata = contextMetadata;
+                    else
+                        context.BeatmapMetadata.Attach(beatmap.Metadata);
+                }
+
+                context.BeatmapSetInfo.Attach(beatmapSet);
+                BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
             }
-
-            context.BeatmapSetInfo.Attach(beatmapSet);
-            context.SaveChanges();
-
-            BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -59,10 +60,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         {
             BeatmapSetRemoved?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
 
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            context.BeatmapSetInfo.Update(beatmapSet);
-            context.SaveChanges();
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+                usage.Context.BeatmapSetInfo.Update(beatmapSet);
 
             BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
         }
@@ -74,13 +73,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <returns>Whether the beatmap's <see cref="BeatmapSetInfo.DeletePending"/> was changed.</returns>
         public bool Delete(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
+            using ( ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                Refresh(ref beatmapSet, BeatmapSets);
 
-            Refresh(ref beatmapSet, BeatmapSets);
-
-            if (beatmapSet.DeletePending) return false;
-            beatmapSet.DeletePending = true;
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                if (beatmapSet.DeletePending) return false;
+                beatmapSet.DeletePending = true;
+            }
 
             BeatmapSetRemoved?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
             return true;
@@ -93,13 +92,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <returns>Whether the beatmap's <see cref="BeatmapSetInfo.DeletePending"/> was changed.</returns>
         public bool Undelete(BeatmapSetInfo beatmapSet)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
+            using ( ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                Refresh(ref beatmapSet, BeatmapSets);
 
-            Refresh(ref beatmapSet, BeatmapSets);
-
-            if (!beatmapSet.DeletePending) return false;
-            beatmapSet.DeletePending = false;
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                if (!beatmapSet.DeletePending) return false;
+                beatmapSet.DeletePending = false;
+            }
 
             BeatmapSetAdded?.Invoke(beatmapSet);
             return true;
@@ -112,15 +111,16 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <returns>Whether the beatmap's <see cref="BeatmapInfo.Hidden"/> was changed.</returns>
         public bool Hide(BeatmapInfo beatmap)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
+            using (ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                Refresh(ref beatmap, Beatmaps);
 
-            Refresh(ref beatmap, Beatmaps);
+                if (beatmap.Hidden) return false;
+                beatmap.Hidden = true;
 
-            if (beatmap.Hidden) return false;
-            beatmap.Hidden = true;
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                BeatmapHidden?.Invoke(beatmap);
+            }
 
-            BeatmapHidden?.Invoke(beatmap);
             return true;
         }
 
@@ -131,13 +131,13 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
         /// <returns>Whether the beatmap's <see cref="BeatmapInfo.Hidden"/> was changed.</returns>
         public bool Restore(BeatmapInfo beatmap)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
+            using (ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                Refresh(ref beatmap, Beatmaps);
 
-            Refresh(ref beatmap, Beatmaps);
-
-            if (!beatmap.Hidden) return false;
-            beatmap.Hidden = false;
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                if (!beatmap.Hidden) return false;
+                beatmap.Hidden = false;
+            }
 
             BeatmapRestored?.Invoke(beatmap);
             return true;
@@ -147,34 +147,36 @@ namespace osu.Game.Beatmaps
 
         public void Cleanup(Expression<Func<BeatmapSetInfo, bool>> query)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                var context = usage.Context;
 
-            var purgeable = context.BeatmapSetInfo.Where(s => s.DeletePending && !s.Protected)
-                                   .Where(query)
-                                   .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.Metadata)
-                                   .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.BaseDifficulty)
-                                   .Include(s => s.Metadata);
+                var purgeable = context.BeatmapSetInfo.Where(s => s.DeletePending && !s.Protected)
+                                       .Where(query)
+                                       .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.Metadata)
+                                       .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.BaseDifficulty)
+                                       .Include(s => s.Metadata);
 
-            // metadata is M-N so we can't rely on cascades
-            context.BeatmapMetadata.RemoveRange(purgeable.Select(s => s.Metadata));
-            context.BeatmapMetadata.RemoveRange(purgeable.SelectMany(s => s.Beatmaps.Select(b => b.Metadata).Where(m => m != null)));
+                // metadata is M-N so we can't rely on cascades
+                context.BeatmapMetadata.RemoveRange(purgeable.Select(s => s.Metadata));
+                context.BeatmapMetadata.RemoveRange(purgeable.SelectMany(s => s.Beatmaps.Select(b => b.Metadata).Where(m => m != null)));
 
-            // todo: we can probably make cascades work here with a FK in BeatmapDifficulty. just make to make it work correctly.
-            context.BeatmapDifficulty.RemoveRange(purgeable.SelectMany(s => s.Beatmaps.Select(b => b.BaseDifficulty)));
+                // todo: we can probably make cascades work here with a FK in BeatmapDifficulty. just make to make it work correctly.
+                context.BeatmapDifficulty.RemoveRange(purgeable.SelectMany(s => s.Beatmaps.Select(b => b.BaseDifficulty)));
 
-            // cascades down to beatmaps.
-            context.BeatmapSetInfo.RemoveRange(purgeable);
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                // cascades down to beatmaps.
+                context.BeatmapSetInfo.RemoveRange(purgeable);
+            }
         }
 
-        public IQueryable<BeatmapSetInfo> BeatmapSets => GetContext().BeatmapSetInfo
+        public IQueryable<BeatmapSetInfo> BeatmapSets => ContextFactory.Get().BeatmapSetInfo
                                                                      .Include(s => s.Metadata)
                                                                      .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(s => s.Ruleset)
                                                                      .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.BaseDifficulty)
                                                                      .Include(s => s.Beatmaps).ThenInclude(b => b.Metadata)
                                                                      .Include(s => s.Files).ThenInclude(f => f.FileInfo);
 
-        public IQueryable<BeatmapInfo> Beatmaps => GetContext().BeatmapInfo
+        public IQueryable<BeatmapInfo> Beatmaps => ContextFactory.Get().BeatmapInfo
                                                                .Include(b => b.BeatmapSet).ThenInclude(s => s.Metadata)
                                                                .Include(b => b.BeatmapSet).ThenInclude(s => s.Files).ThenInclude(f => f.FileInfo)
                                                                .Include(b => b.Metadata)
diff --git a/osu.Game/Configuration/SettingsStore.cs b/osu.Game/Configuration/SettingsStore.cs
index 9b18151c84..7b66002a79 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Configuration/SettingsStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Configuration/SettingsStore.cs
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Configuration
     {
         public event Action SettingChanged;
 
-        public SettingsStore(Func<OsuDbContext> createContext)
-            : base(createContext)
+        public SettingsStore(DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory)
+            : base(contextFactory)
         {
         }
 
@@ -24,19 +24,16 @@ namespace osu.Game.Configuration
         /// <param name="variant">An optional variant.</param>
         /// <returns></returns>
         public List<DatabasedSetting> Query(int? rulesetId = null, int? variant = null) =>
-            GetContext().DatabasedSetting.Where(b => b.RulesetID == rulesetId && b.Variant == variant).ToList();
+            ContextFactory.Get().DatabasedSetting.Where(b => b.RulesetID == rulesetId && b.Variant == variant).ToList();
 
         public void Update(DatabasedSetting setting)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            var newValue = setting.Value;
-
-            Refresh(ref setting);
-
-            setting.Value = newValue;
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
+            using (ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                var newValue = setting.Value;
+                Refresh(ref setting);
+                setting.Value = newValue;
+            }
 
             SettingChanged?.Invoke();
         }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseBackedStore.cs b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseBackedStore.cs
index ec9967e097..da66167b14 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseBackedStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseBackedStore.cs
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 // 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 System.Threading;
 using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
 
@@ -17,9 +15,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// <summary>
         /// Create a new <see cref="OsuDbContext"/> instance (separate from the shared context via <see cref="GetContext"/> for performing isolated operations.
         /// </summary>
-        protected readonly Func<OsuDbContext> CreateContext;
-
-        private readonly ThreadLocal<OsuDbContext> queryContext;
+        protected readonly DatabaseContextFactory ContextFactory;
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Refresh an instance potentially from a different thread with a local context-tracked instance.
@@ -29,33 +25,27 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
         /// <typeparam name="T">A valid EF-stored type.</typeparam>
         protected virtual void Refresh<T>(ref T obj, IEnumerable<T> lookupSource = null) where T : class, IHasPrimaryKey
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            if (context.Entry(obj).State != EntityState.Detached) return;
-
-            var id = obj.ID;
-            var foundObject = lookupSource?.SingleOrDefault(t => t.ID == id) ?? context.Find<T>(id);
-            if (foundObject != null)
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                obj = foundObject;
-                context.Entry(obj).Reload();
+                var context = usage.Context;
+
+                if (context.Entry(obj).State != EntityState.Detached) return;
+
+                var id = obj.ID;
+                var foundObject = lookupSource?.SingleOrDefault(t => t.ID == id) ?? context.Find<T>(id);
+                if (foundObject != null)
+                {
+                    obj = foundObject;
+                    context.Entry(obj).Reload();
+                }
+                else
+                    context.Add(obj);
             }
-            else
-                context.Add(obj);
         }
 
-        /// <summary>
-        /// Retrieve a shared context for performing lookups (or write operations on the update thread, for now).
-        /// </summary>
-        protected OsuDbContext GetContext() => queryContext.Value;
-
-        protected DatabaseBackedStore(Func<OsuDbContext> createContext, Storage storage = null)
+        protected DatabaseBackedStore(DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory, Storage storage = null)
         {
-            CreateContext = createContext;
-
-            // todo: while this seems to work quite well, we need to consider that contexts could enter a state where they are never cleaned up.
-            queryContext = new ThreadLocal<OsuDbContext>(CreateContext);
-
+            ContextFactory = contextFactory;
             Storage = storage;
         }
 
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseContextFactory.cs b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseContextFactory.cs
index b1917d92c4..c092ed377f 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseContextFactory.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseContextFactory.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // 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.Threading;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
 
 namespace osu.Game.Database
@@ -11,17 +12,70 @@ namespace osu.Game.Database
 
         private const string database_name = @"client";
 
+        private ThreadLocal<OsuDbContext> threadContexts;
+
+        private readonly object writeLock = new object();
+
+        private OsuDbContext writeContext;
+
+        private volatile int currentWriteUsages;
+
         public DatabaseContextFactory(GameHost host)
         {
             this.host = host;
+            recycleThreadContexts();
         }
 
-        public OsuDbContext GetContext() => new OsuDbContext(host.Storage.GetDatabaseConnectionString(database_name));
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Get a context for read-only usage.
+        /// </summary>
+        public OsuDbContext Get() => threadContexts.Value;
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Request a context for write usage. Can be consumed in a nested fashion (and will return the same underlying context).
+        /// This method may block if a write is already active on a different thread.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns>A usage containing a usable context.</returns>
+        public DatabaseWriteUsage GetForWrite()
+        {
+            lock (writeLock)
+            {
+                var usage = new DatabaseWriteUsage(writeContext ?? (writeContext = threadContexts.Value), usageCompleted);
+                Interlocked.Increment(ref currentWriteUsages);
+                return usage;
+            }
+        }
+
+        private void usageCompleted(DatabaseWriteUsage usage)
+        {
+            int usages = Interlocked.Decrement(ref currentWriteUsages);
+            if (usages == 0)
+            {
+                writeContext.Dispose();
+                writeContext = null;
+
+                // once all writes are complete, we want to refresh thread-specific contexts to make sure they don't have stale local caches.
+                recycleThreadContexts();
+            }
+        }
+
+        private void recycleThreadContexts() => threadContexts = new ThreadLocal<OsuDbContext>(CreateContext);
+
+        protected virtual OsuDbContext CreateContext()
+        {
+            var ctx = new OsuDbContext(host.Storage.GetDatabaseConnectionString(database_name));
+            ctx.Database.AutoTransactionsEnabled = false;
+
+            return ctx;
+        }
 
         public void ResetDatabase()
         {
-            // todo: we probably want to make sure there are no active contexts before performing this operation.
-            host.Storage.DeleteDatabase(database_name);
+            lock (writeLock)
+            {
+                recycleThreadContexts();
+                host.Storage.DeleteDatabase(database_name);
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseWriteUsage.cs b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseWriteUsage.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0dc5a4cfe9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/DatabaseWriteUsage.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// 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 Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage;
+
+namespace osu.Game.Database
+{
+    public class DatabaseWriteUsage : IDisposable
+    {
+        public readonly OsuDbContext Context;
+        private readonly IDbContextTransaction transaction;
+        private readonly Action<DatabaseWriteUsage> usageCompleted;
+
+        public DatabaseWriteUsage(OsuDbContext context, Action<DatabaseWriteUsage> onCompleted)
+        {
+            Context = context;
+            transaction = Context.BeginTransaction();
+            usageCompleted = onCompleted;
+        }
+
+        public void Dispose()
+        {
+            Context.SaveChanges(transaction);
+            usageCompleted?.Invoke(this);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/SingletonContextFactory.cs b/osu.Game/Database/SingletonContextFactory.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..88a43dc836
--- /dev/null
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/SingletonContextFactory.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2007-2018 ppy Pty Ltd <contact@ppy.sh>.
+// Licensed under the MIT Licence - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ppy/osu/master/LICENCE
+
+namespace osu.Game.Database
+{
+    public class SingletonContextFactory : DatabaseContextFactory
+    {
+        private readonly OsuDbContext context;
+
+        public SingletonContextFactory(OsuDbContext context)
+            : base(null)
+        {
+            this.context = context;
+        }
+
+        protected override OsuDbContext CreateContext()
+        {
+            return context;
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs b/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
index 31c608a5f4..1bfe4db81a 100644
--- a/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/IO/FileStore.cs
@@ -21,86 +21,91 @@ namespace osu.Game.IO
 
         public new Storage Storage => base.Storage;
 
-        public FileStore(Func<OsuDbContext> createContext, Storage storage) : base(createContext, storage.GetStorageForDirectory(@"files"))
+        public FileStore(DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory, Storage storage) : base(contextFactory, storage.GetStorageForDirectory(@"files"))
         {
             Store = new StorageBackedResourceStore(Storage);
         }
 
         public FileInfo Add(Stream data, bool reference = true)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            string hash = data.ComputeSHA2Hash();
-
-            var existing = context.FileInfo.FirstOrDefault(f => f.Hash == hash);
-
-            var info = existing ?? new FileInfo { Hash = hash };
-
-            string path = info.StoragePath;
-
-            // we may be re-adding a file to fix missing store entries.
-            if (!Storage.Exists(path))
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                data.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
+                var context = usage.Context;
 
-                using (var output = Storage.GetStream(path, FileAccess.Write))
-                    data.CopyTo(output);
+                string hash = data.ComputeSHA2Hash();
 
-                data.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
+                var existing = context.FileInfo.FirstOrDefault(f => f.Hash == hash);
+
+                var info = existing ?? new FileInfo { Hash = hash };
+
+                string path = info.StoragePath;
+
+                // we may be re-adding a file to fix missing store entries.
+                if (!Storage.Exists(path))
+                {
+                    data.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
+
+                    using (var output = Storage.GetStream(path, FileAccess.Write))
+                        data.CopyTo(output);
+
+                    data.Seek(0, SeekOrigin.Begin);
+                }
+
+                if (reference || existing == null)
+                    Reference(info);
+
+                return info;
             }
-
-            if (reference || existing == null)
-                Reference(info);
-
-            return info;
         }
 
-        public void Reference(params FileInfo[] files) => reference(GetContext(), files);
-
-        private void reference(OsuDbContext context, FileInfo[] files)
+        public void Reference(params FileInfo[] files)
         {
-            foreach (var f in files.GroupBy(f => f.ID))
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                var refetch = context.Find<FileInfo>(f.First().ID) ?? f.First();
-                refetch.ReferenceCount += f.Count();
-                context.FileInfo.Update(refetch);
-            }
+                var context = usage.Context;
 
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                foreach (var f in files.GroupBy(f => f.ID))
+                {
+                    var refetch = context.Find<FileInfo>(f.First().ID) ?? f.First();
+                    refetch.ReferenceCount += f.Count();
+                    context.FileInfo.Update(refetch);
+                }
+            }
         }
 
-        public void Dereference(params FileInfo[] files) => dereference(GetContext(), files);
-
-        private void dereference(OsuDbContext context, FileInfo[] files)
+        public void Dereference(params FileInfo[] files)
         {
-            foreach (var f in files.GroupBy(f => f.ID))
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                var refetch = context.FileInfo.Find(f.Key);
-                refetch.ReferenceCount -= f.Count();
-                context.FileInfo.Update(refetch);
+                var context = usage.Context;
+                foreach (var f in files.GroupBy(f => f.ID))
+                {
+                    var refetch = context.FileInfo.Find(f.Key);
+                    refetch.ReferenceCount -= f.Count();
+                    context.FileInfo.Update(refetch);
+                }
             }
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
         }
 
         public override void Cleanup()
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            foreach (var f in context.FileInfo.Where(f => f.ReferenceCount < 1))
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                try
+                var context = usage.Context;
+
+                foreach (var f in context.FileInfo.Where(f => f.ReferenceCount < 1))
                 {
-                    Storage.Delete(f.StoragePath);
-                    context.FileInfo.Remove(f);
-                }
-                catch (Exception e)
-                {
-                    Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not delete beatmap {f}");
+                    try
+                    {
+                        Storage.Delete(f.StoragePath);
+                        context.FileInfo.Remove(f);
+                    }
+                    catch (Exception e)
+                    {
+                        Logger.Error(e, $@"Could not delete beatmap {f}");
+                    }
                 }
             }
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Input/KeyBindingStore.cs b/osu.Game/Input/KeyBindingStore.cs
index 92159ab491..4aad684959 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Input/KeyBindingStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Input/KeyBindingStore.cs
@@ -16,14 +16,17 @@ namespace osu.Game.Input
     {
         public event Action KeyBindingChanged;
 
-        public KeyBindingStore(Func<OsuDbContext> createContext, RulesetStore rulesets, Storage storage = null)
-            : base(createContext, storage)
+        public KeyBindingStore(DatabaseContextFactory contextFactory, RulesetStore rulesets, Storage storage = null)
+            : base(contextFactory, storage)
         {
-            foreach (var info in rulesets.AvailableRulesets)
+            using (ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                var ruleset = info.CreateInstance();
-                foreach (var variant in ruleset.AvailableVariants)
-                    insertDefaults(ruleset.GetDefaultKeyBindings(variant), info.ID, variant);
+                foreach (var info in rulesets.AvailableRulesets)
+                {
+                    var ruleset = info.CreateInstance();
+                    foreach (var variant in ruleset.AvailableVariants)
+                        insertDefaults(ruleset.GetDefaultKeyBindings(variant), info.ID, variant);
+                }
             }
         }
 
@@ -31,10 +34,10 @@ namespace osu.Game.Input
 
         private void insertDefaults(IEnumerable<KeyBinding> defaults, int? rulesetId = null, int? variant = null)
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            using (var transaction = context.BeginTransaction())
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
+                var context = usage.Context;
+
                 // compare counts in database vs defaults
                 foreach (var group in defaults.GroupBy(k => k.Action))
                 {
@@ -54,8 +57,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Input
                             Variant = variant
                         });
                 }
-
-                context.SaveChanges(transaction);
             }
         }
 
@@ -66,19 +67,16 @@ namespace osu.Game.Input
         /// <param name="variant">An optional variant.</param>
         /// <returns></returns>
         public List<DatabasedKeyBinding> Query(int? rulesetId = null, int? variant = null) =>
-            GetContext().DatabasedKeyBinding.Where(b => b.RulesetID == rulesetId && b.Variant == variant).ToList();
+            ContextFactory.Get().DatabasedKeyBinding.Where(b => b.RulesetID == rulesetId && b.Variant == variant).ToList();
 
         public void Update(KeyBinding keyBinding)
         {
-            var dbKeyBinding = (DatabasedKeyBinding)keyBinding;
-
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            Refresh(ref dbKeyBinding);
-
-            dbKeyBinding.KeyCombination = keyBinding.KeyCombination;
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
+            using (ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                var dbKeyBinding = (DatabasedKeyBinding)keyBinding;
+                Refresh(ref dbKeyBinding);
+                dbKeyBinding.KeyCombination = keyBinding.KeyCombination;
+            }
 
             KeyBindingChanged?.Invoke();
         }
diff --git a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
index a7eac27056..505577416d 100644
--- a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
@@ -106,12 +106,12 @@ namespace osu.Game
                 Token = LocalConfig.Get<string>(OsuSetting.Token)
             });
 
-            dependencies.Cache(RulesetStore = new RulesetStore(contextFactory.GetContext));
-            dependencies.Cache(FileStore = new FileStore(contextFactory.GetContext, Host.Storage));
-            dependencies.Cache(BeatmapManager = new BeatmapManager(Host.Storage, contextFactory.GetContext, RulesetStore, API, Host));
-            dependencies.Cache(ScoreStore = new ScoreStore(Host.Storage, contextFactory.GetContext, Host, BeatmapManager, RulesetStore));
-            dependencies.Cache(KeyBindingStore = new KeyBindingStore(contextFactory.GetContext, RulesetStore));
-            dependencies.Cache(SettingsStore = new SettingsStore(contextFactory.GetContext));
+            dependencies.Cache(RulesetStore = new RulesetStore(contextFactory));
+            dependencies.Cache(FileStore = new FileStore(contextFactory, Host.Storage));
+            dependencies.Cache(BeatmapManager = new BeatmapManager(Host.Storage, contextFactory, RulesetStore, API, Host));
+            dependencies.Cache(ScoreStore = new ScoreStore(Host.Storage, contextFactory, Host, BeatmapManager, RulesetStore));
+            dependencies.Cache(KeyBindingStore = new KeyBindingStore(contextFactory, RulesetStore));
+            dependencies.Cache(SettingsStore = new SettingsStore(contextFactory));
             dependencies.Cache(new OsuColour());
 
             //this completely overrides the framework default. will need to change once we make a proper FontStore.
@@ -179,8 +179,8 @@ namespace osu.Game
         {
             try
             {
-                using (var context = contextFactory.GetContext())
-                    context.Migrate();
+                using (var db = contextFactory.GetForWrite())
+                    db.Context.Migrate();
             }
             catch (MigrationFailedException e)
             {
@@ -191,8 +191,8 @@ namespace osu.Game
                 contextFactory.ResetDatabase();
                 Logger.Log("Database purged successfully.", LoggingTarget.Database, LogLevel.Important);
 
-                using (var context = contextFactory.GetContext())
-                    context.Migrate();
+                using (var db = contextFactory.GetForWrite())
+                    db.Context.Migrate();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/osu.Game/Rulesets/RulesetStore.cs b/osu.Game/Rulesets/RulesetStore.cs
index 01e3b6848f..f66a126211 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Rulesets/RulesetStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Rulesets/RulesetStore.cs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets
                 loadRulesetFromFile(file);
         }
 
-        public RulesetStore(Func<OsuDbContext> factory)
+        public RulesetStore(DatabaseContextFactory factory)
             : base(factory)
         {
             AddMissingRulesets();
@@ -56,47 +56,50 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets
 
         protected void AddMissingRulesets()
         {
-            var context = GetContext();
-
-            var instances = loaded_assemblies.Values.Select(r => (Ruleset)Activator.CreateInstance(r, (RulesetInfo)null)).ToList();
-
-            //add all legacy modes in correct order
-            foreach (var r in instances.Where(r => r.LegacyID >= 0).OrderBy(r => r.LegacyID))
+            using (var usage = ContextFactory.GetForWrite())
             {
-                if (context.RulesetInfo.SingleOrDefault(rsi => rsi.ID == r.RulesetInfo.ID) == null)
-                    context.RulesetInfo.Add(r.RulesetInfo);
-            }
+                var context = usage.Context;
 
-            context.SaveChanges();
+                var instances = loaded_assemblies.Values.Select(r => (Ruleset)Activator.CreateInstance(r, (RulesetInfo)null)).ToList();
 
-            //add any other modes
-            foreach (var r in instances.Where(r => r.LegacyID < 0))
-                if (context.RulesetInfo.FirstOrDefault(ri => ri.InstantiationInfo == r.RulesetInfo.InstantiationInfo) == null)
-                    context.RulesetInfo.Add(r.RulesetInfo);
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
-
-            //perform a consistency check
-            foreach (var r in context.RulesetInfo)
-            {
-                try
+                //add all legacy modes in correct order
+                foreach (var r in instances.Where(r => r.LegacyID >= 0).OrderBy(r => r.LegacyID))
                 {
-                    var instance = r.CreateInstance();
-
-                    r.Name = instance.Description;
-                    r.ShortName = instance.ShortName;
-
-                    r.Available = true;
+                    if (context.RulesetInfo.SingleOrDefault(rsi => rsi.ID == r.RulesetInfo.ID) == null)
+                        context.RulesetInfo.Add(r.RulesetInfo);
                 }
-                catch
+
+                context.SaveChanges();
+
+                //add any other modes
+                foreach (var r in instances.Where(r => r.LegacyID < 0))
+                    if (context.RulesetInfo.FirstOrDefault(ri => ri.InstantiationInfo == r.RulesetInfo.InstantiationInfo) == null)
+                        context.RulesetInfo.Add(r.RulesetInfo);
+
+                context.SaveChanges();
+
+                //perform a consistency check
+                foreach (var r in context.RulesetInfo)
                 {
-                    r.Available = false;
+                    try
+                    {
+                        var instance = r.CreateInstance();
+
+                        r.Name = instance.Description;
+                        r.ShortName = instance.ShortName;
+
+                        r.Available = true;
+                    }
+                    catch
+                    {
+                        r.Available = false;
+                    }
                 }
+
+                context.SaveChanges();
+
+                AvailableRulesets = context.RulesetInfo.Where(r => r.Available).ToList();
             }
-
-            context.SaveChanges();
-
-            AvailableRulesets = context.RulesetInfo.Where(r => r.Available).ToList();
         }
 
         private static void loadRulesetFromFile(string file)
diff --git a/osu.Game/Rulesets/Scoring/ScoreStore.cs b/osu.Game/Rulesets/Scoring/ScoreStore.cs
index d21ca79736..8bde2747a2 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Rulesets/Scoring/ScoreStore.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Rulesets/Scoring/ScoreStore.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // 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.IO;
 using osu.Framework.Platform;
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Scoring
         // ReSharper disable once NotAccessedField.Local (we should keep a reference to this so it is not finalised)
         private ScoreIPCChannel ipc;
 
-        public ScoreStore(Storage storage, Func<OsuDbContext> factory, IIpcHost importHost = null, BeatmapManager beatmaps = null, RulesetStore rulesets = null) : base(factory)
+        public ScoreStore(Storage storage, DatabaseContextFactory factory, IIpcHost importHost = null, BeatmapManager beatmaps = null, RulesetStore rulesets = null) : base(factory)
         {
             this.storage = storage;
             this.beatmaps = beatmaps;
diff --git a/osu.Game/osu.Game.csproj b/osu.Game/osu.Game.csproj
index c16767c02c..71f1629c19 100644
--- a/osu.Game/osu.Game.csproj
+++ b/osu.Game/osu.Game.csproj
@@ -275,7 +275,9 @@
     <Compile Include="Configuration\DatabasedConfigManager.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Configuration\SpeedChangeVisualisationMethod.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Database\DatabaseContextFactory.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Database\DatabaseWriteUsage.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Database\IHasPrimaryKey.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Database\SingletonContextFactory.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Graphics\Containers\LinkFlowContainer.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Graphics\Textures\LargeTextureStore.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Online\API\Requests\GetUserRequest.cs" />