diff --git a/libretro-common/include/lists/string_list.h b/libretro-common/include/lists/string_list.h
index 482c1f4e8f..b671fec79c 100644
--- a/libretro-common/include/lists/string_list.h
+++ b/libretro-common/include/lists/string_list.h
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ struct string_list *string_split(const char *str, const char *delim);
  */
 struct string_list *string_separate(char *str, const char *delim);
 
+bool string_list_deinitialize(struct string_list *list);
+
+bool string_list_initialize(struct string_list *list);
+
 /**
  * string_list_new:
  *
diff --git a/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c b/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
index f807f1c77f..1ca38b0062 100644
--- a/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
+++ b/libretro-common/lists/string_list.c
@@ -29,20 +29,14 @@
 #include <compat/posix_string.h>
 #include <string/stdstring.h>
 
-/**
- * string_list_free
- * @list             : pointer to string list object
- *
- * Frees a string list.
- */
-void string_list_free(struct string_list *list)
+static bool string_list_deinitialize_internal(struct string_list *list)
 {
-   size_t i;
    if (!list)
-      return;
+      return false;
 
    if (list->elems)
    {
+      unsigned i;
       for (i = 0; i < list->size; i++)
       {
          if (list->elems[i].data)
@@ -57,7 +51,8 @@ void string_list_free(struct string_list *list)
    }
 
    list->elems = NULL;
-   free(list);
+
+   return true;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -85,6 +80,38 @@ static bool string_list_capacity(struct string_list *list, size_t cap)
    return true;
 }
 
+static bool string_list_initialize_internal(struct string_list *list)
+{
+   list->elems              = NULL;
+   list->size               = 0;
+   list->cap                = 0;
+
+   return string_list_capacity(list, 32);
+}
+
+/**
+ * string_list_free
+ * @list             : pointer to string list object
+ *
+ * Frees a string list.
+ */
+void string_list_free(struct string_list *list)
+{
+   if (!list)
+      return;
+
+   string_list_deinitialize_internal(list);
+
+   free(list);
+}
+
+bool string_list_deinitialize(struct string_list *list)
+{
+   if (!list)
+      return false;
+   return string_list_deinitialize_internal(list);
+}
+
 /**
  * string_list_new:
  *
@@ -100,11 +127,7 @@ struct string_list *string_list_new(void)
    if (!list)
       return NULL;
 
-   list->elems              = NULL;
-   list->size               = 0;
-   list->cap                = 0;
-
-   if (!string_list_capacity(list, 32))
+   if (!string_list_initialize_internal(list))
    {
       string_list_free(list);
       return NULL;
@@ -113,6 +136,18 @@ struct string_list *string_list_new(void)
    return list;
 }
 
+bool string_list_initialize(struct string_list *list)
+{
+   if (!list)
+      return false;
+   if (!string_list_initialize_internal(list))
+   {
+      string_list_free(list);
+      return false;
+   }
+   return true;
+}
+
 /**
  * string_list_append:
  * @list             : pointer to string list
diff --git a/tasks/task_content.c b/tasks/task_content.c
index 2e81da2b10..c4be6c52ef 100644
--- a/tasks/task_content.c
+++ b/tasks/task_content.c
@@ -1225,12 +1225,15 @@ static bool content_file_init(
    if (info)
    {
       unsigned i;
-      struct string_list *additional_path_allocs = string_list_new();
-
-      ret = content_file_load(info, p_content,
-            content, content_ctx, error_string,
-            special, additional_path_allocs);
-      string_list_free(additional_path_allocs);
+      struct string_list additional_path_allocs;
+      
+      if (string_list_initialize(&additional_path_allocs))
+      {
+         ret = content_file_load(info, p_content,
+               content, content_ctx, error_string,
+               special, &additional_path_allocs);
+         string_list_deinitialize(&additional_path_allocs);
+      }
 
       for (i = 0; i < content->size; i++)
          free((void*)info[i].data);
@@ -2485,12 +2488,12 @@ void content_set_subsystem_info(void)
  * selected libretro core. */
 bool content_init(void)
 {
+   struct string_list content;
    content_information_ctx_t content_ctx;
    content_state_t *p_content                 = content_state_get_ptr();
 
    bool ret                                   = true;
    char *error_string                         = NULL;
-   struct string_list *content                = NULL;
    global_t *global                           = global_get_ptr();
    rarch_system_info_t *sys_info              = runloop_get_system_info();
    settings_t *settings                       = config_get_ptr();
@@ -2553,19 +2556,20 @@ bool content_init(void)
    }
 
    p_content->is_inited = true;
-   content              = string_list_new();
 
-   if (     !p_content->temporary_content
-         || !content_file_init(&content_ctx, p_content,
-            content, &error_string))
+   if (string_list_initialize(&content))
    {
-      content_deinit();
+      if (     !p_content->temporary_content
+            || !content_file_init(&content_ctx, p_content,
+               &content, &error_string))
+      {
+         content_deinit();
 
-      ret                = false;
+         ret                = false;
+      }
+      string_list_deinitialize(&content);
    }
 
-   string_list_free(content);
-
    if (content_ctx.name_ips)
       free(content_ctx.name_ips);
    if (content_ctx.name_bps)