On the aiming screen, a colored circle displays over the Pokémon, gradually shrinks to nothing, then resets to its widest before continuing to shrink again. If the player's throw lands inside this circle, they will get a "Nice!", "Great!", or "Excellent!" catch chance bonus depending on how small the circle was. The player can also improve their catch chance by throwing a curveball. If the player spins the Ball while holding it, it will temporarily retain the spin and curve left or right when thrown. In Generation II, it was intended to have a 4× catch modifier for Pokémon that can flee, but it only does for three of them: Magnemite, Grimer and Tangela. The Generation III specialty balls have mostly been seen in cameos. The Repeat Ball and Luxury Ball appeared in the opening of Jirachi: Wish Maker. These balls contained Brendan's Shiftry and Aggron, respectively.

The Dive Ball cannot be used in situations in which Poké Balls cannot be used, such as in wild battles with two or more opponents currently present or against a trial Pokémon. If used in a Trainer battle (except if used as a Snag Ball on a Shadow Pokémon), the opposing Trainer will deflect the ball, wasting the item. If used on the ghost Marowak, it will dodge the ball, wasting it.The strength of a Poké Ball is determined by how much it raises a wild Pokémon's catch rate, and may in fact vary depending on the conditions of the battle. Poké Balls limit the power of Pokémon contained inside, taming them, though they do not cause the Pokémon inside to always obey the Trainer. If used while surfing, fishing, or underwater, the Dive Ball has a 3.5× catch rate modifier; otherwise, it has a 1× modifier. If used on an Ultra Beast, the catch rate modifier is instead always set to 410/4096× (~0.1×). In Pokémon Emerald, while underwater on Route 125 (which is only possible while Marine Cave is present), the map will erroneously report that the player is on Route 129. The search for these Poké Balls is an important plot within Pokémon Horizons: The Series. These Poké Balls, in addition to capturing Pokémon, seem to have unique powers and react to certain stimuli, like Liko's pendant and other Ancient Poké Balls.

Dive Ball: 3.5× if used while underwater (RSE), 3.5× if used on a water-dwelling Pokémon (FRLGDPPtHGSSBWB2W2), 1× otherwise Su presentación en los videojuegos al ser lanzadas ha variado con el paso del tiempo. En las dos primeras generaciones, la Poké Ball se partía en dos mitades dejando salir o capturando al Pokémon, y después se unían de nuevo. A partir de la tercera generación, el funcionamiento es igual que en el anime. Las Poké Balls solo se abren parcialmente para que salga el Pokémon. Además, cada Poké Ball tiene una animación única en combate. A partir de la cuarta generación, las Poké Balls también pueden adornarse con sellos, que muestran diferentes efectos cuando éstas son lanzadas al combate.Several variants of Poké Ball have been released in card form in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, ranging from the standard variants found in the games and other media to variants specific to the TCG. When a Trainer Dynamaxes or Gigantamaxes a Pokémon, the Poké Ball expands to the size of an association football.

While being trained, a Pokémon usually stays inside its Poké Ball. However, there are many exceptions. Some Pokémon hate being confined. If used underwater, the Dive Ball has a 3.5× catch rate modifier; otherwise, it has a 1× modifier. Since there are no underwater areas in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, it will always have a 1× modifier in those games. In Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Phenac Stadium is considered an underwater area, so the Dive Ball has a 3.5× catch rate modifier there. Dynamaxed Poké Balls were first used in Flash of the Titans! during Lance and Leon's World Coronation Series battle. In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Goh, with Ash's help, used a Dynamaxed Poké Ball to catch a weakened Eternatus, which was later sealed away. Notably, a broken Poké Ball, snapped in half at its rusted hinges, was kept by both Ash and Gary, symbolizing their rivalry. After Ash defeated Gary during the Silver Conference, Gary gave his half of the Ball to Ash as a sign of ending their rivalry.Timer Ball: ((number of turns passed in battle + 10) ÷ 10)×, maximum 4× (RSEFRLGDPPtHGSS), 1× + 1229 ÷ 4096× (0.3×) per turn passed in the battle, maximum 4× (BWB2W2) Mientras que en el anime el botón central de las Poké Balls sirve para hacerlas más pequeñas, en el manga sirve para abrir la Poké Ball. Jagged Pass • Mt. Chimney • Desert Underpass • Meteor Falls • Weather Institute • Scorched Slab • Ancient Tomb • Safari Zone • Mt. Pyre