Evergreen
Trainer Levels and XP: How Levelling Works in Pokémon GO
How trainer XP and levels work in Pokémon GO: where XP comes from, planning a Lucky Egg session, the level-up tasks above 40 and what levelling unlocks.
Your trainer level is the number beside your avatar, and it creeps up with almost everything you do in Pokémon GO. It is the game's long-term progress bar: early levels arrive in a rush, later ones take real commitment.
Three numbers that are easy to mix up
- Trainer level belongs to you. It rises with XP and is shown on your profile.
- Pokémon level belongs to each Pokémon. It rises when you power that Pokémon up with Stardust and candy.
- GO Battle League rank belongs to the battle ladder: the lower ranks come from battles and wins, the top ones from your battle rating. It is separate from XP, although you need to reach a minimum trainer level before you can join the League; see our page on GO Battle League ranks and rewards.
Where XP comes from
| Activity | Notes |
|---|---|
| Catching Pokémon | Nice, Great and Excellent throws, curveballs and first-throw catches all add bonus XP, and a species new to your Pokédex adds more. |
| Spinning PokéStops | A stop you have never spun before pays a bonus. |
| Hatching Eggs | Longer-distance Eggs have generally paid more XP than short ones. |
| Evolving | Evolving a Pokémon pays XP, and an evolution that adds a new Pokédex entry pays extra. |
| Raids | Winning a raid pays XP, and higher-tier raids have generally paid more. |
| Friendship level-ups | Reaching a higher friendship level with another trainer pays a lump of XP to both of you, and the higher tiers pay the most. Time it with a Lucky Egg (see below). |
| Research | Special Research steps often include XP, and some other research tasks do too; each task shows its reward before you complete it. |
| Gym battles | Battling at rival Gyms earns XP as well. |
The daily first catch and first spin carry their own bonuses, and seven-day streaks add more. Our guide to daily rewards and streaks explains how those work.
Planning a Lucky Egg session
A Lucky Egg doubles the XP you earn for a limited time, so the trick is to save up XP-heavy actions and do them all while it is running.
- Clear storage before you start. A full box stops you catching mid-session, so make room first; our guide to managing your Pokémon storage has quick ways to do it.
- Stockpile evolutions. Hold off on evolving Pokémon whose candy you have been saving, especially species with cheap evolutions or ones that will add a new Pokédex entry, and evolve them in one go.
- Line up friendship milestones. Friendship normally rises only once per day with each friend. If a friend is about to reach a higher level, agree on a time, activate your Lucky Eggs together and then trade, open a gift or raid together to trigger it. Both of you get the doubled XP.
- Fill the gaps with catching. Between evolutions, catch with good throws. Every bonus is doubled too.
Trading and gifting are the usual way to build friendship, so our guide to trading and friendship levels pairs well with this plan.
Levels above 40: XP plus tasks
For a long time level 40 was the top. When the cap was raised to 50, the game added level-up research: each level above 40 needs both the XP and a set of level-up tasks, some of them sizeable, such as specific catches, throws, evolutions or battles, and the tasks change from level to level. Having the XP isn't enough on its own; the level only arrives once the tasks are done. The cap has been raised before, so check the in-game level screen if you are unsure what the current top is.
What levelling unlocks
The level-up screen lists each reward as you receive it, and these have changed over time.
- Better items. Level-up rewards include items, and stronger balls and berries become available as you climb.
- Stronger wild Pokémon. The level of the wild Pokémon you meet rises with your trainer level, up to a point.
- A higher power-up ceiling. Your trainer level has long limited how far you can power up your Pokémon, so levelling opens room to grow them.
- Candy XL. From a high enough trainer level you start earning Candy XL, which is needed to power Pokémon beyond level 40.
- Cosmetics and features. Several features open during the early levels, including choosing a team and trading with friends (level 5 and level 10 respectively at the time of writing), and some levels include avatar items.
Pacing yourself
The XP needed for each level grows steeply. The early levels come comparatively quickly with regular play, while the later ones are long-term goals. Unless you're chasing a specific unlock, it's usually more fun to let levels arrive as a side effect of playing than to grind XP for its own sake.
Levelling questions
Does my trainer level affect battles?
Not directly, beyond the minimum levels needed to unlock features such as Gyms, raids and the GO Battle League. Battles depend on your Pokémon and how you play, and GO Battle League pairs players by rating rather than level. Levelling helps indirectly by letting you power Pokémon higher.
Can I lose XP?
No. XP only goes up, and so does your level.
Do events boost XP?
Often. Many events add XP bonuses for specific activities. Event XP bonuses have generally stacked with a Lucky Egg, so an event that boosts evolution XP is a good time to run the session described above. Check the in-game news for what is active.
Once your XP routine is sorted, the Trainer Hub homepage has the raiding and catching guides that feed it.