Power-up items are programmed into a game and sometimes require a player to overcome a challenge, such as winning a difficult fight with an enemy or solving a complicated puzzle, in order to achieve the benefit. They are commonly found in action-oriented games where the player must fight or outrun the enemy, but are also found in nearly every type of game, including maze games, run and guns, shoot 'em ups, first-person shooters, platform games, puzzle games, racing games and vehicular combat games.

Some well-known examples of power-ups are in the Super Mario game series, where a red mushroom makes the character larger, a green mushroom gives an extra life and a star provides invincibility.