Leveling up has always been incredibly important for those hoping to be the very best in Pokemon Go. Not only does it grant access to new in-game items, but it also increases the max CP of your Pokemon as well as boosting your chances of catching or hatching Pokemon at higher levels. As a result, some of the more challenging gyms and raids have typically required players to be at a very high level in order to emerge victorious.

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The team at Niantic eventually increased the level cap to 50, much to the delight of many of the player base. It offers a new challenge for those who have been with the game since the very beginning, and a chance to push their Pokemon to new heights. However, the extra ten levels aren't straightforward, so read on for the special requirements.

Updated January 18, 2024, by Sean Murray: It's a long climb to the top of Pokemon Go, so if you're looking for level requirements, this guide is here to help. We've recently refreshed it with improved formatting, more breakout tips, and additional links to other helpful Pokemon Go topics.

Pokemon Go: Level 40 to Level 50 Requirements

Up to level 40, all you needed to do was grind XP. However, as well as a huge XP requirement, each level between levels 41 and 50 has its own set of unique tasks attached to it. These can range from catching a certain number of Pokemon within a set period to beating difficult raids and trainer battles multiple times.

Some can be incredibly time-consuming, although it's definitely worth the extra effort.

As well as increasing the potential of your Pokemon, every new level will grant a selection of fantastic rewards, which include new poses and clothing for your avatar, as well as Rare Candy XL, which is needed to level up your Pokemon beyond level 40.

Level 41 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go - Ho-oh loading screen and promo art

They start you off easy, if you can believe it! The requirements to reach level 41 aren't nearly as bad as some of the ones you'll see further on. Still, you could probably use some tips to help you achieve this. See below for tips on the hardest requirements: powering up Legendary Pokemon and catching 200 Pokemon in a day!

Level 41 Requirements

Level 41 Rewards

Earn 6,000,000 XP (26,000,000 total XP)

20 x Ultra Ball

20 x Max Potion

Power up a Legendary Pokemon 20 times

20 x Max Revive

20 x Razz Berry

Win 30 Raids

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Catch 200 Pokemon in a single day

1 x Rare Candy XL

1 x Level 41 Glasses (Style Reward)

Earn five Gold Medals

Requirements and rewards for level 41 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Powering Up Legendary Pokemon

First, to power up a Legendary Pokemon 20 times, you're going to need a lot of these two things: the Legendary Pokemon's Candy, and Stardust.

There are tons of different ways to get Stardust, which we describe in-depth in our guide on the subject, but there are a few methods you should use if you need a lot quickly. The first (and arguably most popular) way is to battle other trainers in the Go Battle League.

You can play quite a lot of these battles in a day and earn Stardust based on which league you participate in (with the Master League rewarding between 500-1,000 Stardust). If you need help getting started, here is an in-depth guide about how to build a team.

Other than trainer battles, fighting Team Go Rocket Grunts or their Leaders and participating in Raids will also award significant Stardust rewards.

You can get Candy for a Legendary Pokemon through one of three methods. First, you could catch more of the Legendary Pokemon. This is difficult because they're Legendary, and by definition, challenging to find and beat, but it is undoubtedly effective.

Once you've caught the Legendary Pokemon once, you don't need to worry so much about missing them, so you can use Pinap Berries or Silver Pinap Berries to increase the number of Candies you receive once they're caught.

Second, you could walk around with the Legendary Pokemon as your buddy. We don't recommend this method unless you're really desperate. You need to walk 20km with a Legendary Pokemon just to earn a single Candy! It's just not worth it; assign another Pokemon you need Candy for as your buddy.

Third, you could use your Rare Candies on the Legendary. This is probably the most effective method since it's almost always available to you if you put in the effort.

We have a guide detailing how to get Rare Candies, but the most straightforward way is just to participate in a lot of Raids.

Tips For Catching 200 Pokemon In A Single Day

First - and this is probably obvious - set yourself a day to get this requirement done in advance. It's not the sort of thing you can do off the cuff; catching 200 Pokemon is a lot! Try to choose a Community Day when the game will be spawning a lot of Pokemon anyway and other players will be out and about setting Lures to attract Pokemon to your area.

Second, before that day comes, stock up on the valuable items that attract Pokemon: Lure Modules and Incense. These can be purchased with coins from the shop, but they can also be acquired naturally through certain tasks and challenges.

Third, choose your location carefully. If you're not already living in a dense urban area with lots of PokeStops, drive yourself downtown or hitch a ride with someone! Even on a Community Day, you can only accomplish so much out in the sticks. The Daily Incense helped a lot with that problem, but not enough that you'll be able to catch 200 Pokemon without driving yourself mad first.

Level 42 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go promo photo of two people on a cliff with Charmander and Charizard.

Level 42's requirements are relatively tame. Really, it's just about brute force. With enough time and dedication, you'll be able to manage these tasks. For the harder ones (evolving Eevee and using evolution items), we've provided tips below.

Level 42 Requirements:

Level 42 Rewards:

Earn 7,500,000 XP (Total XP: 33,500,000)

20 x Ultra Ball

20 x Max Potion

Evolve Eevee into each of its unique evolutions

20 x Max Revive

20 x Nabab Berry

Use items to evolve Pokemon 15 times

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Make three Excellent Throws

1 x Rare Candy XL

Use 200 Berries to help catch Pokemon

Requirements and rewards for level 42 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Evolving Eevee

Eevee has eight different possible evolutions (or "Eeveelutions," as fans lovingly call them) that represent different Pokemon Types. Updates since the game launched mean that you can now unlock all of them in Pokemon Go.

To get the different Eeveelutions, you generally need to do a specific task with the Eevee. For example, to evolve an Eevee into a Leafeon, you need to be near a Grassy Lure Module.

The only Eeveelutions that don't have specific tasks are the three basic forms: Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon. You can evolve the Eevee at any time and randomly get one of these three.

There are unique names that you can name the Eevee in order to force it to evolve into a particular Eeveelution, but that only works once per name per account. We have an article that details how to evolve an Eevee into each of its Eeveelutions.

Tips For Evolving Pokemon Using Items

Most Pokemon in Pokemon Go only need Candy in order to evolve into their stronger, larger forms. However, a select few Pokemon also need a unique item, usually related to their home region, in order to evolve. If you've been playing Pokemon Go for a while (after all, you've reached level 41), you probably have a stockpile of these items saved up.

This article details all the Pokemon that evolve using items, so you can keep an eye out for them just to catch and evolve them. If you don't have enough of the evolution item(s), we also have guides to help you find Sinnoh Stones and Unova Stones.

A few common Pokemon that evolve with items are:

  • Seadra (Dragon Scale)
  • Slowpoke (King's Rock)
  • Rhydon (Sinnoh Stone)
  • Murkrow (Sinnoh Stone)
  • Onix (Metal Coat)
  • Petilil (Sun Stone)
  • Munna (Unova Stone)
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Level 43 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Legendary Pokemon displayed on two phones
Pokemon Go Legendary

At level 43, you'll need to kick serious ass. In addition to the usual XP requirements, you need to earn a lot of Stardust (see tips for level 41), use a lot of Super-Effective Charged Attacks, catch Legendary Pokemon, and complete a lot of high-level Medals. We provide tips for the latter three below.

Level 43 Requirements:

Level 43 Rewards:

Earn 9,000,000 XP (Total XP: 42,500,000)

20 x Ultra Ball

20 x Max Potion

Earn 100,000 Stardust

20 x Max Revive

20 x Silver Pinap Berry

Catch five Legendary Pokemon

1 x Incubator

Level 43 Pose (Style Reward)

Earn five Platinum Medals

1 x Premium Battle Pass

1 x Rare Candy XL

Use 200 Super Effective Charged Attacks

Requirements and rewards for level 43 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Completing Platinum Medals

Medals in Pokemon Go are unique challenges you need to complete. They can range from simple and straightforward to incredibly annoying. The best we can do is recommend some of the easiest medals you can aim to achieve.

However, keep in mind that Platinum is the highest Medal level, so you need to do them a lot, and "easy" is a relative term.

  • Berry Master: Feed 15,000 Berries at Gyms
    • You can feed Berries to any Pokemon in a Gym owned by your Team, even if you don't have one of your Pokemon in the Gym. Regular Pokemon Go players are often having to throw out Berries to make room in their inventory anyway, so this is a great way for you to use some of those up instead of wasting them.
  • Collector: Catch 50,000 Pokemon
    • This one is all about brute force. If you've been playing Pokemon Go consistently, you're probably already a third or so of the way there. Keep your phone open in the background and watch out for the odd Pokemon that will pop up as you're cooking dinner, playing another game, etc.
  • Ace Trainer: Train 2,000 times
    • Once you've reached level 42, Traner Battles with the Team Leaders are a piece of cake, even at the Master League level. You could finish this today, if you really dedicate yourself to the boredom.
  • Battle Girl/Boy: Win 4,000 Gym battles
    • Become the town gym menace. Never give up. Never surrender. As a bonus, if you're walking around looking for Gyms to take on, you'll probably earn kilometers towards the walking Medal, Jogger, and can spin PokeStops for the Backpacker Medal.

As a general rule, avoid the ones you'll need other people to help you complete, like Pilot, which asks you to earn 10,000,000km across the distance of all Pokemon trades. There are exceptions, though; maybe you happen to know someone else who really loves Pokemon Go that you can work with for your mutual advantage.

Tips For Catching Legendary Pokemon

Unfortunately, catching Legendary Pokemon boils down to luck more often than not. You'll almost always be seeing a Legendary Pokemon because you just defeated it in a Raid (though, there are a few exceptions, like Giovanni's Shadow Pokemon or Galarian Zapdos).

When you beat a Pokemon in a Raid, you can only use the Premier Balls to catch it, so it's not like a regular instance where you could move up to a Ball with a better catching rate. It has been shown that for these Pokemon you catch after Raids, your odds of catching it go up a little each time you throw the ball, so, if your first few throws aren't successful, don't despair.

Other than that, we can only advise you to save your Golden Razz Berries for these moments. Honestly, there's seldom a reason for you to use a Golden Razz Berry outside of catching a Legendary Pokemon. Just use a regular Razz Berry in those other moments when you want a hand!

Tips For Using Super Effective Charged Attacks

The most important thing to know is that you can accomplish this task in lots of different types of fights:

  • Raids
  • Gym Battles
  • Training Battles with Team Leaders
  • Team Go Rocket Grunt/Leader Fights
  • PvP Battles

Training with the Team Leaders is the easiest way to accomplish it, since there are no prerequisites and you know what Pokemon they'll use every time. Once you know that, you could get this done in a matter of days.

To ensure you know what will count as a Super Effective hit, we've included the Type Effectiveness chart below.

Level 44 Requirements In Pokemon Go

The Pokemon Go Great League, Ultra League, and Master League logos with a cave background

Except for the amount of XP you need to earn, the requirements for Level 44 all ask you to participate in the Go Battle League, a PvP mode where you'll fight live against other players. We've detailed some of our best tips - and directed you to other guides - below.

Level 44 Requirements:

Level 44 Rewards:

Earn 11,000,000 XP (Total XP: 53,500,000)

20 x Ultra Ball

20 x Max Potion

20 x Max Revive

Win 30 Trainer Battles in the Great League

20 x Razz Berry

1 x Incubator

Win 30 Trainer Battles in the Ultra League

1 x Premium Battle Pass

1 x Rare Candy XL

Win 30 Trainer Battles in the Master League

Battle in the Go Battle League 20 times

Requirements and rewards for level 44 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Fighting In The Go Battle League

The Go Battle League involves fighting against other players with your very best Pokemon. Several different levels set restrictions on how high your Pokemon's CP can be. If you haven't participated in the Go Battle League before or just need a refresher, we have a beginner's guide with all the basic details and a team-building guide that can help you assemble the best team possible.

Here are some of the major tips you should keep in mind:

  • PvP assistants like the PokeMatch app will provide crucial details you need during your fight, like the opposing Pokemon's Type(s) and which attack(s) your opponent might use against you
  • Your team can only have three Pokemon in it, and you want those three Pokemon's Types to cover basically any other Type you might come up against (with special consideration given to which Pokemon are the most popular choices in PvP teams)
  • Sites like PvPoke can help you build teams, see Pokemon rankings for each League, and simulate battles
  • Excellent stats for PvE are not necessarily excellent stats for PvP, and excellent moves for PvE fights are not necessarily excellent moves for PvP fights
  • We also have guides to tell you which Pokemon are...
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Level 45 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Shadow Mewtwo in a city, with Giovanni and a Pokemon Go Shadow Raid behind

Most of the requirements for Level 45 involve taking on Team Go Rocket. We've provided tips and linked to our numerous guides on this subject.

Level 45 Requirements:

Level 45 Rewards:

Earn 13,000,000 XP (Total XP: 66,500,000)

40 x Ultra Ball

40 x Max Revive

1 x Elite Fast TM

Defeat 100 Team Go Rocket Grunts

2 x Rare Candy XL

2 x Incense

Purify 100 Shadow Pokemon

2 x Lucky Egg

1 x Super Incubator

Defeat a Team Rocket Leader 50 times

2 x Lure Module

1 x Level 45 Hat (Style Reward)

Earn ten Platinum Medals

Requirements and rewards for level 45 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Dealing With Team Go Rocket

Team Go Rocket is a consistent menace in Pokemon Go, so you're probably used to dealing with their antics. The requirements to reach level 45 aren't anything you probably haven't done a hundred times before.

The requirements to beat a lot of Grunts and Leaders are pretty self-explanatory; you need to beat a certain amount of Grunts to get the Super Rocket Radar that will let you fight the Leaders, so just repeat that over and over again. It really just boils down to playing the game a lot, and not just from the comfort of your own home.

For purifying Shadow Pokemon, we do have one suggestion: try to purify the Pokemon that only require 1,000 Stardust. Some stronger Pokemon require a lot more Stardust than that, and it's just a waste when it could be used to Power Up your Pokemon!

You can always hang on to Shadow Pokemon who require more Stardust to be Purified so that, once you get close to the end and want to get it over with, you can just do a batch of Purifications at once.

For more detailed info, check out these guides:

Level 46 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Buneary in a grassy field, surrounded by four different Pokemon Go Eggs

The level requirements to get to Level 46 involve things you're probably used to doing daily in the game, but ask you to do... a lot. We've added some tips about Field Research and hatching Eggs.

Level 46 Requirements:

Level 46 Rewards:

Earn 15,500,000 XP (Total XP: 82,000,000)

30 x Ultra Ball

25 x Max Potion

Complete 100 Field Research tasks

20 x Max Revive

25 x Razz Berry

Take a snapshot of a Pokemon seven days in a row

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Make 50 Excellent Throws

1 x Rare Candy XL

Hatch 30 Eggs

Requirements and rewards for level 46 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Completing Field Research

We have a complete guide to Field Research you can check out if you're looking for some more details, but if you've been playing Pokemon Go this long you're probably already familiar with the basics.

Our main piece of advice is this: don't settle for just any Field Research task you get! Some are drastically easier than others, and you'll make this requirement more difficult for yourself than it needs to be if you just accept whatever you get. Delete the more challenging ones and spin the PokeStop again for something easier.

Tips For Hatching Eggs

As with Field Research, we have a complete guide to hatching Eggs if you want or need more information, but we have one piece of information we want to embed into your skull: don't make it hard on yourself! You need to hatch a whopping 50 eggs for this requirement, so you could walk 500km to hatch 50 10km eggs or you could walk 100km to hatch 50 2km eggs.

If you don't have a 2km egg in your pouch, you can get them from spinning PokeStops and Gyms. Unfortunately, if you're full up on Eggs, you can't just delete them. Just be sure to try and get your Eggs from PokeStops and Gyms, not from Gifts; Gifts always give 7km eggs, and at least from a PokeStop or Gym you could get a 5km Egg, which is slightly better.

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Level 47 Requirements In Pokemon Go

lapras pikachu magikarp and wurmple in pokemon go
via Niantic

Level 47 challenges you with unique requirements that ask for a greater understanding of your Pokemon and how to use them effectively. We have tips below for winning a three-star Raid.

Level 47 Requirements:

Level 47 Rewards:

Earn 18,000,000 XP (Total XP: 100,000,000)

30 x Ultra Ball

25 x Max Potion

Win 30 Raids using a team of all unique Pokemon species

20 x Max Revive

25 x Nanab Berries

Win a Three-Star Raid using Pokemon with 1,500 CP or less

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Power up three Pokemon to their max CP

1 x Rare Candy XL

Level 47 Pose (Style Reward)

Earn 20 Platinum Medals

Requirements and rewards for level 47 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Winning A Three-Star Raid With 1,500 CP Pokemon

Most high-level players are able to complete a three-star Raid by themselves. They're slightly challenging, but not unreasonable. If you add even one more person, you're golden. However, beating a three-star Raid with Pokemon whose maximum CP is 1,500? Much harder.

The exact steps you should take will differ from player to player, but the best thing you can do is scope out your target(s). Keep an eye out while you play for which Pokemon are appearing near you in three-star Raids. For example, at the time of this writing, Snorlax is appearing in lots of three-star Raids. Normal-Type Pokemon are weak to Fighting. You can foster and train a Fighting-Type Pokemon to battle a Snorlax with no problem.

Level 48 Requirements In Pokemon Go

A Pokemon Go Trainer walking through a forest with the Daily Adventure Incense activated

At level 48, the requirements are focused on your relationship with your buddy and your walking distance. We detail below some tips for doing these things as quickly as possible

Level 48 Requirements:

Level 48 Rewards:

Earn 21,000,000 XP (Total XP: 121,000,000)

30 x Ultra Ball

25 x Max Potion

Receive 20 Souvenirs from your Buddy

20 x Max Revive

15 x Silver Pinap Berry

Earn 300 Hearts with your Buddy

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Walk 200km with your Buddy

1 x Rare Candy XL

Walk 25km in a week eight times

Requirements and rewards for level 48 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Earning Hearts With Your Buddy

The requirements at this level are pretty self-explanatory, but we thought we'd provide some advice on how to earn buddy hearts really quickly. We have a full guide to Buddy Pokemon available if you need to get a better understanding of the mechanics.

You can earn at least six hearts with 21 different Pokemon each day with the following steps:

  1. Start with the Pokemon that's already your Buddy at the start of the day.
  2. Play with it in AR: you'll give it three Berries as a treat (one heart), take a picture of it (one heart), and play with it (one heart).
  3. Go to the Go Battle League Menu and Train with one of the Team Leaders. Ensure your Buddy Pokemon is in your party. You don't need to actually complete the fight, you can just enter and then leave after a couple of hits. (However, it doesn't count towards the Ace Trainer Medal unless you complete the fight, so if you need more Platinum Medals you can deal with two birds with one stone this way).
  4. Participate in three Training battles with the Team Leaders using your Buddy Pokemon (three hearts).
  5. Switch to a new Pokemon. You can switch your Buddy Pokemon 20 times in a day, which means you can do this with 21 Pokemon total.
  6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 until you can't switch your Buddy anymore.

With this method, you can have this requirement done in three days, all from the comfort of your own home. You can do it even more quickly if you are walking around with the Pokemon and getting hearts for the distance or new PokeStops.

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Level 49 Requirements In Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go - lucky wooloo (left), trade occuring on a phone (right)

The level 49 requirements mostly centre around trading with other players. Hopefully, you know some in real life! If not, don't worry, because there are tons of apps and forums online just a Google search away. We have tips on one requirement in particular: getting Lucky Pokemon.

Level 49 Requirements:

Level 49 Rewards:

Earn 25,000,000 (Total XP: 146,000,000)

30 x Ultra Ball

25 x Max Potion

Make ten trades with Pokemon caught at least 300km apart

20 x Max Revive

25 x Gold Pinap Berry

Obtain 50 Lucky Pokemon in trades

1 x Incubator

1 x Premium Battle Pass

Send 500 Gifts to friends

1 x Rare Candy XL

1 x Level 49 Boots (Style Reward)

Earn 35 Platinum Medals

Requirements and rewards for level 49 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Getting Lucky Pokemon In Trades

We have a guide that goes into full detail about how to gurantee you'll get a Lucky Pokemon in a trade, so you should definitely check it out when you get into this requirement full-swing. The most important thing to remember is that the older the Pokemon is, the more likely you'll get a Lucky Trade.

Though we used to think it was unique to each Pokemon in the trade, the current understanding is that the combined age of both Pokemon is what matters. The data about this is all player-collected, but these are the odds at the time of this writing:

Combined Age of Both Pokemon

Odds Of Getting A Lucky Trade

Less Than 1 Year Old

5 percent

Between 1 And 2 Years Old

10 percent

More Than 2 Years Old

25 percent

With this in mind, it's a good idea to trade two old Pokemon, rather than one old Pokemon and one new Pokemon.

Level 50 Requirements In Pokemon Go

The main characters of Pokemon Go and many Pokemon celebrating and running outdoors

It's probably no surprise that they don't take it easy on you for the final requirements. To reach level 50, you'll need to be a true expert. We've discussed tips for beating Team Go Rocket Leaders and catching Legendary Pokemon above, so we'll just include a few final tips on pulling off more excellent throws.

Level 50 Requirements:

Level 50 Rewards:

Earn 30,000,000 XP (Total XP: 176,000,000)

50 x Ultra Ball

50 x Max Potion

Make 999 Excellent Throws

1 x Elite Charged TM

2 x Rare Candy XL

Catch a Legendary Pokemon in your next five Legendary Pokemon encounters

5 x Incense

5 x Lucky Egg

Defeat a Team Go Rocket Leader three times using Pokemon with 2,500 CP or less

5 x Super Incubator

5 x Lure Module

Reach Rank 10 in the Go Battle League

2 x Level 50 Jacket (Style Reward)

Requirements and rewards for level 50 in Pokemon Go

Tips For Making Excellent Throws

As with so many things, we do have a guide detailing how you can throw more excellent throws, but we'll boil down the information for you here. The biggest tips are:

  • Use Nanab Berries to calm down restless Pokemon.
  • It's easier to make Excellent Throws on Pokemon with a bigger circle, like Snorlax and Machamp.
  • The best gift you can give yourself is patience; you won't get an Excellent throw (or not many) by throwing randomly.
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All Level XP Requirements And Rewards in Pokemon Go

Three types of Weather in the Pokemon Go Overworld, Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy

For those under the illusion that reaching level 50 is going to be easy, the table below has information regarding the XP requirements for each level and paints a very bleak picture for the newer players among you.

As you'll quickly notice, the amount of XP needed to jump from level 49 to level 50 is an eye-watering 30,000,000, which is double the amount needed to soar through the first 39 levels.

This is before the special unlock requirements for the last ten levels (listed above) come into play as well, which only highlights the monumental size of the task at hand.

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