XP & Levelling · Complete Guide
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Updated April 2026
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XP Guide
2026
Knowing how to level up fast in Pokemon GO is the difference between spending months grinding and reaching higher levels in a matter of weeks. With the level cap now raised to Level 80, there’s more to grind than ever — but there are also more efficient methods than most players realise.
This guide covers every XP source in the game, ranked by efficiency, so you know exactly where to focus your time and items. Whether you’re a beginner pushing toward Level 40 or a veteran chasing Level 50 and beyond, the strategies here apply to every stage of the game.
⚡ Quick Summary — Fastest XP Methods
- 1 Friendship milestones — Best Friend = 100,000 XP (200,000 with Lucky Egg)
- 2 Mass evolution with Lucky Egg — 1,000 XP per evolution, 60+ evolutions = 60,000+ XP in 30 mins
- 3 Legendary raids — 10,000 XP per raid (20,000 with Lucky Egg)
- 4 Excellent throw catching — stack bonuses for 2,000–5,000+ XP per catch
- 5 Events with XP bonuses — Community Days, GO Fest — stack with Lucky Egg for maximum returns
Pokemon GO Level Cap & XP Requirements in 2026
As of October 2025, Pokemon GO raised the level cap from 50 to 80. The levelling curve has been rebalanced to make early and mid-game levels faster to complete, while Levels 71–80 introduce new research tasks alongside the XP requirements.
| Level Range | XP to Reach | Special Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1–40 | 4,000,000 total | XP only |
| 41–50 | 8,750,000 total | XP only |
| 51–70 | 73,100,000 total | XP only — rebalanced curve |
| 71–80 | 117,500,000 total | New Level-Up Research tasks + XP required |
📌 Important for Level 40+: From Level 41 onwards, XP alone is not enough. You must complete specific Level-Up Research tasks for each level — things like winning raids, making Excellent throws, catching certain Pokémon types, and more. These tasks are permanent and can be completed at any time, so start working on them early.
Method 1 — Friendship Milestones (The Biggest XP Source in the Game)
Friendship XP is the single most powerful levelling method in Pokemon GO. Most players leave enormous amounts of XP on the table because they don’t time their friendship milestones correctly. Here’s how it works:
| Friendship Level | Base XP | With Lucky Egg | Days to Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Friend | 3,000 XP | 6,000 XP | 1 day |
| Great Friend | 10,000 XP | 20,000 XP | 7 days |
| Ultra Friend | 50,000 XP | 100,000 XP | 30 days |
| Best Friend 🏆 | 100,000 XP | 200,000 XP | 90 days |
💡 The Golden Rule: Always activate a Lucky Egg before claiming a friendship milestone. Triggering a Best Friend bonus without a Lucky Egg active means leaving 100,000 XP on the table. Coordinate with friends in advance and pop your Lucky Egg just before you send that final gift or raid together.
The best strategy is to stack multiple friendship milestones at once — add many friends, stagger your interactions, and time it so several friends hit Best Friend status within the same 30-minute Lucky Egg window. Pulling off 3–5 Best Friend milestones under a single Lucky Egg can net you 600,000–1,000,000 XP in 30 minutes.
Method 2 — Mass Evolution with Lucky Egg
Every Pokémon evolution gives 500 XP — or 1,000 XP with a Lucky Egg active. Evolving a Pokémon you haven’t evolved before gives 1,000 XP (2,000 with Lucky Egg). The trick is to save up dozens of cheap evolutions and do them all in a single Lucky Egg window.
The best Pokémon to save for mass evolution — all requiring only 12–25 candy:
Pidgey
12 candy
Caterpie
12 candy
Weedle
12 candy
Wurmple
12 candy
Whismur
12 candy
Rattata
25 candy
How to run a mass evolution session: Save 60–70 of these low-cost Pokémon. Pop a Lucky Egg. Evolve as fast as possible for 30 minutes. At 60 evolutions that’s 60,000 XP in a single session — and that’s before any event multipliers.
During a 3× Catch XP Community Day combined with a Lucky Egg, each evolution gives 1,000 XP and each new catch gives 900+ XP. Stack these sessions on Community Day for the biggest single-day XP totals possible.
Method 3 — Raids (Especially During GO Fest)
Raids are one of the highest XP activities in the game on a per-minute basis. Here’s how much XP each raid tier gives:
| Raid Tier | Base XP | With Lucky Egg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Star Raid | 3,500 XP | 7,000 XP |
| 3-Star Raid | 5,000 XP | 10,000 XP |
| 5-Star Legendary 🏆 | 10,000 XP | 20,000 XP |
During GO Fest 2026, you get 9 free Raid Passes per day. That’s 9 Legendary raids × 20,000 XP (with Lucky Egg) = 180,000 XP per day from free passes alone. Stack that with a mass evolution session and friendship milestones in the same Lucky Egg window and GO Fest becomes the single biggest XP event of the year.
If you want to maximise raid XP without spending your own time, PogoStore’s XP levelling service and GO Fest event packages handle raids and grinding on your account directly.
Method 4 — Excellent Throws & Catching Bonuses
Every catch gives XP, but the bonuses stack fast when you play correctly. Here’s how much each bonus adds on top of the base catch XP:
| Action | XP Bonus |
|---|---|
| Base catch | 100 XP |
| Nice throw | +10 XP |
| Great throw | +100 XP |
| Excellent throw 🏆 | +1000 XP |
| Curveball | +20 XP |
| First catch of the day | +1,800 XP |
| 7-day catch streak | +9,000 XP |
A curveball Excellent throw with a 7-day streak on your first catch of the day stacks to over 9,400 XP from a single catch — before any Lucky Egg or event multiplier. Never break your daily catch streak.
Method 5 — Events Are Your Biggest XP Multipliers
Pokemon GO regularly runs events with boosted XP for catching, evolving, raiding and hatching. These are your windows to grind efficiently. The key ones to mark in your calendar:
🎉 Community Day
Typically 3× Catch XP. Stack with Lucky Egg + mass evolution in the same 3-hour window for 6× effective XP on catches.
🌍 GO Fest Global Finale
Boosted XP from catches and raids plus 9 free Raid Passes per day. The biggest XP event of the entire year.
⭐ Spotlight Hour
Weekly 1-hour bonus — often 2× catch XP or 2× evolution XP. Check which Spotlight Hour has XP bonuses before it starts.
🥚 Hatch Events
Events with boosted egg hatching XP and ½ distance. Load up Super Incubators before the event starts.
The golden rule for events: always have a Lucky Egg running before the event starts, not after. Pop it 5 minutes before the event window opens so you don’t waste the first few minutes of the bonus period.
Other XP Sources Worth Knowing
- → Hatching Eggs — 2km eggs give ~200 XP, 10km eggs give ~1,000–2,000 XP. Use Super Incubators during events with ¼ hatch distance for fast egg cycling
- → Field Research Tasks — complete and claim Stardust and XP rewards during a Lucky Egg window for doubled XP on research completions
- → PokéStop Spinning — small but consistent XP. 7-day streak gives 2,500 XP bonus. Never skip your daily spin
- → Gym Battles — XP for each Pokémon defeated. Not as efficient as raids but useful passive XP during daily play
- → New Pokédex Entries — catching or evolving a Pokémon you’ve never caught before gives double the base XP. Always worth catching new species first time
🎯 Skip the XP Grind Entirely
PogoStore offers dedicated XP levelling services — we grind the XP for you. We also carry Lucky Eggs in our item packs so you always have everything you need for your next grind session.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to level up in Pokemon GO?
The fastest method is stacking Best Friend milestones with Lucky Eggs. Triggering multiple Best Friend bonuses under a single 30-minute Lucky Egg gives 200,000 XP per friendship — making it possible to earn over 1,000,000 XP in 30 minutes if several friends hit Best Friend status at the same time.
How much XP does a Lucky Egg give in Pokemon GO?
A Lucky Egg doesn’t give XP directly — it doubles all XP earned for 30 minutes. Every catch, evolution, raid, friendship milestone and egg hatch gives twice its normal XP while it’s active. Always activate one before any high-yield XP activity.
What is the level cap in Pokemon GO in 2026?
As of October 2025, the Pokemon GO level cap is Level 80. This was raised from Level 50 in a major update. Levels 41–50 and 71–80 require completing specific Level-Up Research tasks in addition to XP.
How much XP do you get for an Excellent throw in Pokemon GO?
An Excellent throw gives a bonus of 100 XP on top of the base 100 XP catch reward. With a Curveball (20 XP), Excellent throw (100 XP) and the base catch (100 XP), that’s 220 XP per catch — before any Lucky Egg, event multipliers or streak bonuses.
Can you buy XP in Pokemon GO?
You cannot buy XP directly in Pokemon GO. However, you can buy Lucky Eggs with PokéCoins to double your XP earnings for 30 minutes. Alternatively, PogoStore’s XP levelling service farms XP on your account directly so you reach higher levels without the grind.
PogoStore is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Niantic, Inc., Nintendo, or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon GO is a registered trademark of Niantic, Inc. XP values referenced are based on publicly available community data and may change with game updates.
Level Up With PogoStore
Following every tip here still takes serious hours. If you’d rather have it handled for you, our Level Boosting services can take care of the XP grind safely while you focus on the parts of the game you enjoy.