One common oxidative DNA lesion, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanine (8-oxoG), is highly mutagenic in vivo due to its anti-conformation forming a Watson-Crick base pair with correct deoxycytidine 5′-triphosphate (dCTP) and its syn-conformation forming a Hoogsteen base pair with incorrect deoxyadenosine 5′-triphosphate (dATP). Here, we utilized time-resolved X-ray crystallography to follow 8-oxoG bypass by human DNA polymerase $\beta$ (hPol$\beta$). In the 12 solved structures, both Watson-Crick (anti-8-oxoG:anti-dCTP) and Hoogsteen (syn-8-oxoG:anti-dATP) base pairing were clearly visible and were maintained throughout the chemical reaction. Additionally, a third Mg²⁺ appeared during the process of phosphodiester bond formation and was located between the reacting $\alpha$- and $\beta$-phosphates of the dNTP, suggesting its role in stabilizing reaction intermediates. After phosphodiester bond formation, hPol$\beta$ reopened its conformation, pyrophosphate was released and the newly incorporated primer 3′-terminal nucleotide stacked, rather than base paired, with 8-oxoG. These structures provide the first real-time pictures, to our knowledge, of how a polymerase correctly and incorrectly bypasses a DNA lesion.