diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/OnlinePlayBackgroundScreen.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/OnlinePlayBackgroundScreen.cs
index ef7c1747e9..4ca2d8e8a6 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/OnlinePlayBackgroundScreen.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/OnlinePlayBackgroundScreen.cs
@@ -3,10 +3,15 @@
 
 using System.Threading;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
+using osu.Framework.Extensions;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics;
 using osu.Framework.Graphics.Colour;
+using osu.Framework.Graphics.Textures;
 using osu.Framework.Screens;
 using osu.Game.Beatmaps;
+using osu.Game.Database;
+using osu.Game.Graphics.Backgrounds;
+using osu.Game.Online.API.Requests.Responses;
 using osu.Game.Online.Rooms;
 using osuTK;
 using osuTK.Graphics;
@@ -16,65 +21,57 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.OnlinePlay.Components
     public abstract partial class OnlinePlayBackgroundScreen : BackgroundScreen
     {
         private CancellationTokenSource? cancellationSource;
-        private PlaylistItemBackground? background;
+        private Background? lastBackground;
+        private int? beatmapId;
 
         [BackgroundDependencyLoader]
         private void load()
         {
-            switchBackground(new PlaylistItemBackground(playlistItem));
+            loadNewBackground();
         }
 
-        private PlaylistItem? playlistItem;
-
         protected PlaylistItem? PlaylistItem
         {
-            get => playlistItem;
             set
             {
-                if (playlistItem == value)
+                if (beatmapId == value?.Beatmap.OnlineID)
                     return;
 
-                playlistItem = value;
+                beatmapId = value?.Beatmap.OnlineID;
 
-                if (LoadState > LoadState.Ready)
-                    updateBackground();
+                if (LoadState >= LoadState.Ready)
+                    loadNewBackground();
             }
         }
 
-        private void updateBackground()
+        private void loadNewBackground()
         {
-            Schedule(() =>
+            cancellationSource?.Cancel();
+            cancellationSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
+
+            if (beatmapId == null)
+                switchBackground(new DefaultBackground());
+            else
+                LoadComponentAsync(new OnlineBeatmapBackground(beatmapId.Value), switchBackground, cancellationSource.Token);
+
+            void switchBackground(Background newBackground)
             {
-                var beatmap = playlistItem?.Beatmap;
+                float newDepth = 0;
 
-                string? lastCover = (background?.Beatmap?.BeatmapSet as IBeatmapSetOnlineInfo)?.Covers.Cover;
-                string? newCover = (beatmap?.BeatmapSet as IBeatmapSetOnlineInfo)?.Covers.Cover;
+                if (lastBackground != null)
+                {
+                    newDepth = lastBackground.Depth + 1;
+                    lastBackground.FinishTransforms();
+                    lastBackground.FadeOut(250);
+                    lastBackground.Expire();
+                }
 
-                if (lastCover == newCover)
-                    return;
+                newBackground.Depth = newDepth;
+                newBackground.Colour = ColourInfo.GradientVertical(new Color4(0.1f, 0.1f, 0.1f, 1f), new Color4(0.4f, 0.4f, 0.4f, 1f));
+                newBackground.BlurTo(new Vector2(10));
 
-                cancellationSource?.Cancel();
-                LoadComponentAsync(new PlaylistItemBackground(playlistItem), switchBackground, (cancellationSource = new CancellationTokenSource()).Token);
-            });
-        }
-
-        private void switchBackground(PlaylistItemBackground newBackground)
-        {
-            float newDepth = 0;
-
-            if (background != null)
-            {
-                newDepth = background.Depth + 1;
-                background.FinishTransforms();
-                background.FadeOut(250);
-                background.Expire();
+                AddInternal(lastBackground = newBackground);
             }
-
-            newBackground.Depth = newDepth;
-            newBackground.Colour = ColourInfo.GradientVertical(new Color4(0.1f, 0.1f, 0.1f, 1f), new Color4(0.4f, 0.4f, 0.4f, 1f));
-            newBackground.BlurTo(new Vector2(10));
-
-            AddInternal(background = newBackground);
         }
 
         public override void OnSuspending(ScreenTransitionEvent e)
@@ -89,5 +86,47 @@ namespace osu.Game.Screens.OnlinePlay.Components
             this.MoveToX(0);
             return result;
         }
+
+        [LongRunningLoad]
+        private partial class OnlineBeatmapBackground : Background
+        {
+            private readonly int beatmapId;
+
+            public OnlineBeatmapBackground(int beatmapId)
+            {
+                this.beatmapId = beatmapId;
+            }
+
+            [BackgroundDependencyLoader]
+            private void load(BeatmapLookupCache lookupCache, LargeTextureStore textures, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
+            {
+                try
+                {
+                    APIBeatmap? beatmap = lookupCache.GetBeatmapAsync(beatmapId, cancellationToken).GetResultSafely();
+                    string? coverImage = beatmap?.BeatmapSet?.Covers.Cover;
+
+                    if (coverImage != null)
+                        Sprite.Texture = textures.Get(coverImage);
+                }
+                catch
+                {
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        private class DefaultBackground : Background
+        {
+            [Resolved]
+            private BeatmapManager beatmapManager { get; set; } = null!;
+
+            [BackgroundDependencyLoader]
+            private void load()
+            {
+                Sprite.Texture = beatmapManager.DefaultBeatmap.GetBackground();
+            }
+
+            public override bool Equals(Background? other)
+                => other is DefaultBackground;
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/PlaylistItemBackground.cs b/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/PlaylistItemBackground.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 6b06eaee1e..0000000000
--- a/osu.Game/Screens/OnlinePlay/Components/PlaylistItemBackground.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-// 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 osu.Framework.Allocation;
-using osu.Framework.Graphics.Textures;
-using osu.Game.Beatmaps;
-using osu.Game.Graphics.Backgrounds;
-using osu.Game.Online.Rooms;
-
-namespace osu.Game.Screens.OnlinePlay.Components
-{
-    public partial class PlaylistItemBackground : Background
-    {
-        public readonly IBeatmapInfo? Beatmap;
-
-        public PlaylistItemBackground(PlaylistItem? playlistItem)
-        {
-            Beatmap = playlistItem?.Beatmap;
-        }
-
-        [BackgroundDependencyLoader]
-        private void load(BeatmapManager beatmaps, LargeTextureStore textures)
-        {
-            Texture? texture = null;
-
-            // prefer online cover where available.
-            if (Beatmap?.BeatmapSet is IBeatmapSetOnlineInfo online)
-                texture = textures.Get(online.Covers.Cover);
-
-            Sprite.Texture = texture ?? beatmaps.DefaultBeatmap.GetBackground();
-        }
-
-        public override bool Equals(Background? other)
-        {
-            if (ReferenceEquals(null, other)) return false;
-            if (ReferenceEquals(this, other)) return true;
-
-            return other.GetType() == GetType()
-                   && ((PlaylistItemBackground)other).Beatmap == Beatmap;
-        }
-    }
-}