When you hear the phrase “cozy, mindless game”, what comes to mind? Maybe something like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, or a pixel art indie title that plays lo-fi beats while you rearrange your digital furniture. What probably doesn’t make the cut is Mario Kart—a game known more for competitive chaos, banana-induced grudges, and that one cousin who always picks Rainbow Road on purpose.

But I’m here to make the case—no, the cozy case—for Mario Kart, specifically the newer iteration featuring a much-overlooked gem: Free Roam.

Wait, Free Roam Exists in Mario Kart?

Yes, and no, and sort of. In Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and even more so in Mario Kart Tour’s multiplayer-free driving and location-based features, Nintendo has been flirting with the idea of loosening the reins. It’s not Breath of the Wild levels of exploration, but there’s something calming about driving around iconic courses without the pressure of lap counts, blue shells, or Lakitu constantly judging your shortcuts.

Most People Find It… Meh.

And I get it. Many players find Free Roam underwhelming. Without the adrenaline-fueled race or the dopamine hits from pulling off a clutch drift, what’s left? Just you, the kart, the track… and a noticeable lack of chaos. For the hyper-competitive or easily bored, it can feel like wandering an empty mall after hours: pretty, nostalgic, but ultimately pointless.

But for those of us with autistic brains, neurodivergent wiring, or simply an anxious mind that’s had a day, Free Roam becomes something else entirely.

The Power of Predictability

There’s an underrated beauty in repetitive motion. In muscle memory. In driving the same path over and over until the act becomes meditative. Free Roam lets me do just that. It gives me the pleasing colors and familiar music of the Mario Kart world, without the sensory overload or frantic pace.

In a world that often demands constant adaptation, predictability is a gift.

Each turn is expected. Each sound is known. The world is lively, but not threatening. It’s like fidgeting in digital form—my fingers have something to do, but my brain can relax. There’s no objective to complete, no race to win, and no punishment for simply driving in circles because it feels right.

It’s Not Boring. It’s Peaceful.

For a long time, I resisted calling it “gaming.” If I’m not earning coins or racing CPUs, am I even playing? But that mindset is rooted in the idea that everything we do has to be productive, has to make sense to others.

Newsflash: it doesn’t.

The joy of Free Roam is not in its excitement. It’s in its gentle uselessness. It’s background music you can drive through. It’s digital stimming. It’s the dopamine drip of drifting perfectly around Moo Moo Meadows… just because you can.

Cozy Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

The definition of a “cozy game” is subjective. For some, it’s dialogue trees and tea-making simulators. For others, it’s aimlessly racing a kart through Wario’s Gold Mine without ever once worrying about finishing the lap.

Cozy doesn’t have to be slow or cutesy. Sometimes, it’s about comfort in control, in predictability, in routine.

So Yeah, Mario Kart Is My Cozy Game

If you’re neurodivergent, anxious, or just tired of games constantly demanding more from you, give Free Roam a try. Let yourself drive with no purpose. Put on some music or a podcast. Loop Peach’s Castle five times just because it makes your brain go mmm, symmetry.

It may not be Animal Crossing, but for some of us, it’s just as healing.

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