Like most any game, leveling up is important in Pokémon Go Levels aren’t just a way of charting your progress either. The higher your level, the more game elements open up to you, including Gyms, Pinap Berries, Max Revives, the level of Pokémon you can hatch and catch, and even the limits to which you can power them up. You can do most things in the game at level five, but to get the fullest experience in Pokémon Go, you’ll want to aim for level 40!
To level up, you need XP. To get XP, all you have to do is play the game. To get max XP and level up as fast as possible, though, you gotta play smart. Here’s how!
What is XP in Pokémon Go, and why do you want it?
XP stands for Experience Points, and it’s what you need to collect to increase your level. As your level goes up, you get access to Gyms, to Max Revives, to Pinap and Nanab Berries, to Great and Ultra Balls, to Evolution Items, Friendship, Trading, Special Research, and more.
It also lets you hatch and catch higher level Pokémon from eggs and in the wild, and power up your Pokémon’s CP and HP, so they survive longer and do more damage in battles.
The amount of XP you need to level up is different for different levels. For example, it only takes 1,000 XP to go from level one to level two. But it takes 25,000 XP to go from 19 to 20, and a whopping 5,000,000 XP to go from 39 to 40. Getting to level 40 takes a combined 20,000,000 XP (so don’t expect to pull that off overnight!)
How much XP do you need for each level in Pokémon Go?
As you increase in level, it takes more and more XP to keep increasing in level.
| Level | Additional XP | Totall XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 3 | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| 4 | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 5 | 4,000 | 10,000 |
| 6 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 7 | 6,000 | 21,000 |
| 8 | 7,000 | 28,000 |
| 9 | 8,000 | 36,000 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 45,000 |
| 11 | 10,000 | 55,000 |
| 12 | 10,000 | 65,000 |
| 13 | 10,000 | 75,000 |
| 14 | 10,000 | 85,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 | 100,000 |
| 16 | 20,000 | 120,000 |
| 17 | 20,000 | 140,000 |
| 18 | 20,000 | 160,000 |
| 19 | 25,000 | 185,000 |
| 20 | 25,000 | 210,000 |
| 21 | 50,000 | 260,000 |
| 22 | 75,000 | 335,000 |
| 23 | 100,000 | 435,000 |
| 24 | 125,000 | 560,000 |
| 25 | 150,000 | 710,000 |
| 26 | 190,000 | 900,000 |
| 27 | 200,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 28 | 250,000 | 1,350,000 |
| 29 | 300,000 | 1,650,000 |
| 30 | 350,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 31 | 500,000 | 2,500,000 |
| 32 | 500,000 | 3,000,000 |
| 33 | 750,000 | 3,750,000 |
| 34 | 1,000,000 | 4,750,000 |
| 35 | 1,250,000 | 6,000,000 |
| 36 | 1,500,000 | 7,500,000 |
| 37 | 2,000,000 | 9,500,000 |
| 38 | 2,500,000 | 12,000,000 |
| 39 | 3,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| 40 | 5,000,000 | 20,000,000 |
Can you just buy XP in Pokémon Go?
Pokemon Go Buy Lucky Eggs (Image credit: iMore/ Casian Holly)
Kind of. You can’t buy XP directly, but you can buy Lucky Eggs, which temporarily double the XP you get while playing the game. The effect lasts for 30 min., and you can get them in different quantities from the Shop:
- One Lucky Egg for 80 PokéCoins.
- Eight Lucky Eggs for 500 PokéCoins.
Lucky Eggs are also sometimes included in the Special Boxes that are made available during events, allowing you to save some PokéCoins.
So, how do you get more XP in Pokémon Go?
By playing! Almost everything you do in Pokémon Go earns you XP. Sometimes in minimal amounts, like the 10 XP bonuses, you get for throwing curveballs or hitting “nice throw” targets. Occasionally large quantities, like the 2000 XP bonus for spinning a Pokéstop or catching Pokémon on the 7th day in a row. Here’s the complete breakdown:
For catching Pokémon:
- Curve Ball bonus: 10 XP
- Nice Throw bonus: 10 XP
- Pokémon Flees: 25 XP
- First Throw bonus: 50 XP
- Great Throw bonus: 50 XP
- Excellent Throw bonus: 100 XP
- Catch a Pokémon: 100 XP
- Catch 100th Pokémon of a…