Let’s be real. If you’re still grinding Pidgeys to hit level 50, you’re stuck in 2016. The game has changed. Most players think a Pokemon Go level up is just about catching everything that pops up on the map, but that’s a slow burn that’ll leave you burnt out before you even see the Level 40 gates. I've seen trainers play for years and still sit at level 38 because they don't understand the math behind the XP. It’s not about how much you play. It's about how you manipulate the bonuses Niantic throws at us every Tuesday night.
The XP Wall is Real (And It's Massive)
The jump from level 39 to 40 is five million XP. That sounds like a lot until you realize the jump from 49 to 50 is thirty million. It’s brutal. Niantic, the developer behind the game, essentially backloaded the entire progression system. You spend more time in the "endgame" levels than you do in the first thirty levels combined.
📖 Related: YuYu Hakusho Dark Tournament PS2: Why This Flawed Fighter Still Hits Different
Honestly, the rewards for hitting level 50—like the Mewtwo encounter or the exclusive avatar items—are cool, but the real benefit is the XL Candy. You can't even max out your Pokemon to their true potential until you’ve pushed through these levels. If you want to compete in the Master League or solo a five-star raid, leveling up isn't optional. It's the barrier to entry.
Friendship is Your Secret Weapon
Forget catching 500 Pokemon a day. If you want a fast Pokemon Go level up, you need to manage your friends list like a full-time job. Sending and opening 20 gifts a day is tedious. It's boring. But the math doesn't lie. Reaching "Best Friend" status with one person gives you 100,000 XP.
Pop a Lucky Egg right before that interaction happens? That’s 200,000 XP for one single tap on the screen.
You can literally gain a million XP in ten minutes if you line up five friends to hit Best Friend status at the same time. This is where most people mess up. They let the other person trigger the level-up, lose control of the Lucky Egg timing, and waste that potential. You’ve got to communicate. Use Discord or Reddit (r/PokemonGoFriends is a goldmine) to coordinate. Don't be that person who holds a gift hostage for three weeks just to get the XP lead. It’s bad etiquette and it slows everyone down.
Excellent Throws are Not Optional Anymore
Catching a Pokemon with a "Nice" throw gives you a tiny bump. An "Excellent" curveball? That's 1,000 XP per catch. During certain 3x Catch XP events, that number jumps to 3,000. Add a Lucky Egg, and you are looking at 6,000 XP for a single Caterpie.
Think about that.
🔗 Read more: Saints Row 2 PS3: Why the Chaos Still Feels Better Than Modern Sandboxes
If you can hit 10 Excellent throws in a row, you’ve earned more XP than someone catching 50 Pokemon with basic throws. It’s a skill gap. Most players complain that leveling is too hard, but they haven't spent ten minutes practicing the circle-lock technique. You hold the Poke Ball until the circle is small, let go, wait for the Pokemon to attack, and then throw. It’s a rhythm. Once you find it, every Slowpoke or Ponyta becomes a massive XP deposit.
The Level 40+ Requirements are a Different Beast
Once you hit level 40, XP isn't your only problem. Niantic introduced "Level Challenges." To get to level 41, you need to catch 200 Pokemon in a single day. For level 43, you have to earn 100,000 Stardust. Level 47 requires you to win 30 raids using a team of all unique Pokemon species.
It’s not just about the grind. It's about versatility.
I’ve seen Level 40 players get stuck on the "Evolve Eevee into every unique evolution" task for months because they forgot which ones they already did. Write it down. Keep a checklist. If you don't plan ahead for the Level 48 requirement of walking 25km a week eight times, you’re going to be stuck at a standstill even if you have a hundred million XP in the bank.
Raiding and Spotlight Hours
Every Tuesday at 6:00 PM local time, there’s a Spotlight Hour. Sometimes the bonus is 2x Catch XP or 2x Evolution XP. This is your window. If you aren't playing during these sixty minutes, you’re essentially playing on "Hard Mode" the rest of the week.
Evolution marathons used to be the meta. You’d sit there for 30 minutes evolving Pidgeys. It’s still viable if you’ve got nothing else, but it’s nowhere near as efficient as a 2x XP raid day. Legendaries give 10,000 XP. With an egg, that’s 20,000. If you’re in a city like New York or Tokyo where raids fill up instantly, you can chain-raid for three hours and walk away with nearly half a million XP without even trying.
But raids cost money. Remote Raid Passes have gone up in price, and Niantic has capped how many you can do. It's a bottleneck. If you're a free-to-play trainer, your Pokemon Go level up strategy has to revolve around those Excellent throws and Friendship milestones. There's no shortcut if you aren't spending coins on passes and eggs.
Wayfarer and the Long Game
Did you know you can earn a "Wayfarer" medal that counts toward your level 40+ requirements? By reviewing PokeStop nominations, you help build the game map. It’s a community service, sure, but it’s also a way to secure those medals you need for the higher levels. Many trainers hit the XP requirement for level 49 but find themselves short on Gold or Platinum medals.
Start working on your medals now.
Don't wait until you're level 46 to realize you need 20 Platinum medals. Look at the easy ones. The "Kanto" medal is easy. "Collector" is easy. The "Wayfarer" or "Type" medals (catching 2,500 of a specific type) take forever if you aren't paying attention to spawns during seasonal events.
Why Speeding to Level 50 Might Be a Mistake
There’s a segment of the community that thinks the game ends at 50. It doesn't. In fact, some of the most dedicated players I know—people with 500 million XP—say the game got less fun once the number stopped going up.
There's no secret club. You don't get better shiny rates.
The biggest advantage is the ability to power up your Pokemon to Level 50. In the Master League of the GO Battle League, that's the difference between winning and losing. A Level 50 Dialga will almost always beat a Level 40 Dialga. If you don't care about PvP (Player vs. Player), the rush to level up is mostly for bragging rights.
🔗 Read more: WRC 10 Explained: Why It Might Be the Last Great Rally Sim
Actionable Steps for Your Next Level
Stop playing aimlessly. If you want to see that level bar move, you need a system.
First, audit your friends list. Delete people who haven't sent a gift in months. Replace them with active players from online forums. Aim to have at least 20 "Best Friend" interactions pending at any given time. This is your XP engine.
Second, master the Excellent throw. Go to a park, find a large-target Pokemon like Sudowoodo or Wailmer, and just practice. Don't worry about catching them. Just focus on the circle. Once you can hit Excellents 50% of the time, your passive XP gain doubles.
Third, save your Lucky Eggs for events. Never use an egg just because you’re bored. Wait for the 3x Catch XP Community Days or the specific Tuesday Spotlight Hours that offer XP bonuses. This is how you maximize your resources.
Lastly, check your medals. If you're aiming for those level 40+ milestones, you need Platinum medals. Focus on the "Normal" type catch medal or the "Trade" medal if you have a local friend to swap with. These take time, and you can't rush them in a weekend.
The path to a Pokemon Go level up is a marathon, but most people are trying to sprint with their shoes untied. Fix your technique, manage your social list, and stop wasting your items. You'll hit level 50 eventually, just make sure you have the Stardust and the medals to actually enjoy it when you get there.