In this game player must guide a little hamster trapped in a glass ball through 12 unique levels to reach a designated area marked "GOAL". The gameplay is similar to that of Marble Madness or the much recent Ballance. While completely following the player's will, little hamsterball is also a subject to the rules of Newtonian physics. So when a ball has gained enough momentum player has to overcome a force of inertia while directing the ball in a desired direction. Falling from a considerable heights will break the ball and make it reappear in a nearby location. The game doesn't impose a limit on a number of lives the player has, but a time limit instead. The amount of time given is varied depending on a difficulty chosen. There are three difficulty level aptly named: Pipsqueak, Normal and Frenzied.

In the beginning of the game player is asked to choose a preferable game mode. The Tournament mode requires player to complete all of the 12 levels in a limited amount of time. So that completing one level faster will give additional time for others. Time-trial mode doesn't put a time limit on a whole game but on a each level individually. Completing the tournament mode allows access to a third Mirror Tournament mode, which offers a mirrored versions of familiar levels.

In Hamsterball each level has a unique feature that distinguishes it from others. It can either have an unusual stylistic solution or introduce a new gameplay element (e.g. variable gravity, spiral staircases, pool of tar etc.).

After completing all of the levels offered for at least once, player may compete with his friends in the Party Games section. In a Party Race game players are challenged to complete the level faster than theirs opponent, while Rodent Ramble features an arena level in which players try to remove each other from the outlined area. There are total of 12 arena levels, each one corresponding to a specific level in a single-player mode.

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