diff --git a/osu.Game/Database/RealmContextFactory.cs b/osu.Game/Database/RealmContextFactory.cs
index 411cfc52ee..760b154397 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Database/RealmContextFactory.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Database/RealmContextFactory.cs
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ public RealmContextFactory(Storage storage, string filename, IDatabaseContextFac
                 Filename += realm_extension;
 
             cleanupPendingDeletions();
+
+            // run after the above operation to ensure realm is already in a good (fully migrated) state.
+            migrateDataFromEF();
         }
 
         private void cleanupPendingDeletions()
@@ -163,6 +166,54 @@ private RealmConfiguration getConfiguration()
             };
         }
 
+        private void migrateDataFromEF()
+        {
+            if (efContextFactory == null)
+                return;
+
+            using (var db = efContextFactory.GetForWrite())
+            {
+                // migrate ruleset settings. can be removed 20220315.
+                var existingSettings = db.Context.DatabasedSetting;
+
+                // previous entries in EF are removed post migration.
+                if (!existingSettings.Any())
+                    return;
+
+                using (var realm = CreateContext())
+                using (var transaction = realm.BeginWrite())
+                {
+                    // only migrate data if the realm database is empty.
+                    if (!realm.All<RealmRulesetSetting>().Any())
+                    {
+                        foreach (var dkb in existingSettings)
+                        {
+                            if (dkb.RulesetID == null)
+                                continue;
+
+                            string? shortName = getRulesetShortNameFromLegacyID(dkb.RulesetID.Value);
+
+                            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(shortName))
+                                continue;
+
+                            realm.Add(new RealmRulesetSetting
+                            {
+                                Key = dkb.Key,
+                                Value = dkb.StringValue,
+                                // important: this RulesetStore must be the EF one.
+                                RulesetName = shortName,
+                                Variant = dkb.Variant ?? 0,
+                            });
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    db.Context.RemoveRange(existingSettings);
+
+                    transaction.Commit();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         private void onMigration(Migration migration, ulong lastSchemaVersion)
         {
             for (ulong i = lastSchemaVersion + 1; i <= schema_version; i++)
diff --git a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
index 1890fd7d24..8c35e65dfc 100644
--- a/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/OsuGameBase.cs
@@ -262,8 +262,6 @@ List<ScoreInfo> getBeatmapScores(BeatmapSetInfo set)
             dependencies.Cache(scorePerformanceManager);
             AddInternal(scorePerformanceManager);
 
-            migrateDataToRealm();
-
             dependencies.Cache(rulesetConfigCache = new RulesetConfigCache(realmFactory, RulesetStore));
 
             var powerStatus = CreateBatteryInfo();
@@ -439,35 +437,6 @@ public void Migrate(string path)
 
         private void migrateDataToRealm()
         {
-            using (var db = contextFactory.GetForWrite())
-            using (var realm = realmFactory.CreateContext())
-            using (var transaction = realm.BeginWrite())
-            {
-                // migrate ruleset settings. can be removed 20220315.
-                var existingSettings = db.Context.DatabasedSetting;
-
-                // only migrate data if the realm database is empty.
-                if (!realm.All<RealmRulesetSetting>().Any())
-                {
-                    foreach (var dkb in existingSettings)
-                    {
-                        if (dkb.RulesetID == null) continue;
-
-                        realm.Add(new RealmRulesetSetting
-                        {
-                            Key = dkb.Key,
-                            Value = dkb.StringValue,
-                            // important: this RulesetStore must be the EF one.
-                            RulesetName = RulesetStore.GetRuleset(dkb.RulesetID.Value).ShortName,
-                            Variant = dkb.Variant ?? 0,
-                        });
-                    }
-                }
-
-                db.Context.RemoveRange(existingSettings);
-
-                transaction.Commit();
-            }
         }
 
         private void onRulesetChanged(ValueChangedEvent<RulesetInfo> r)
diff --git a/osu.sln.DotSettings b/osu.sln.DotSettings
index 3fac94b243..a96f64cdc3 100644
--- a/osu.sln.DotSettings
+++ b/osu.sln.DotSettings
@@ -311,6 +311,7 @@
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=AABB/@EntryIndexedValue">AABB</s:String>
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=API/@EntryIndexedValue">API</s:String>
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=BPM/@EntryIndexedValue">BPM</s:String>
+	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=EF/@EntryIndexedValue">EF</s:String>
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=FPS/@EntryIndexedValue">FPS</s:String>
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=GC/@EntryIndexedValue">GC</s:String>
 	<s:String x:Key="/Default/CodeStyle/Naming/CSharpNaming/Abbreviations/=GL/@EntryIndexedValue">GL</s:String>