Abstract Active matter exhibits collective motions at various scales. Geometric confinement has been identified as an effective way to control and manipulate active fluids, with much attention given to external factors. However, the impact of the inherent properties of active particles on collective motion under confined conditions remains elusive. Here, we use a highly tunable active nematics model to study active systems under confinement, focusing on the effect of self-driven speed of active particles. We identify three distinct states characterized by unique particle and flow fields within confined active nematic systems, among which circular rotation emerges as a collective motion involving rotational movement in both particle and flow fields. The theoretical phase diagram shows that increasing the self-driven speed of active particles significantly enhances the region of circular rotation state and improves its stability. Our results provide insights into the formation of high quality vortices in confined active nematic systems.