Pokémon Go XP sources list: How to get XP fast in Pokémon Go

Getting XP fast in Pokémon Go is useful for speeding through Pokémon Go level requirements — something that players must do if they want to unlock the use of Candy XL and raise their Pokémon level cap from 40 to 50!

But even before then, a higher Trainer level in Pokémon Go will help in other ways, such as increasing your chances of meeting higher CP Pokémon out in the wild, and allow you to improve their effectiveness in battle.

Later Trainer level rewards get better over time, becoming more lucrative the higher your level, with more powerful Great Balls and Ultra Balls, additional Incubators, new curatives and other items becoming available.

Finally, the higher level you are, the sooner you’ll likely access new features. We've seen this twice in the past, with Raids and Friends rolling out first to a select higher level few, and though these were soon opened up to the broader player base, it's an extra incentive to get as much XP as you can. Most recently, Route creation was first rolled out to trainers over Level 48 — a feat that required a lifetime total of 121 million XP.

This page provides a list of XP sources in Pokémon Go, along with how to make the most of the fast XP methods in Pokémon Go.

On this page:

Pokémon Go XP chart and sources list

Almost every action in the game will give you XP of some kind, and it pays to know the most efficient methods.

Here’s a run-down to help you plan your activities, accurate as of August 2023.

There are a couple of things that really stand out as big-XP tasks: Excellent Throws (1000 XP), Legendary Raids (10,000 XP), a seven-day catch streak bonus (20,000 XP) and becoming Best Friends with another Trainer (100,000 XP).

Anything on the following list that can stack, will stack — for example, evolving a new Pokémon will give you 1000 XP for the new Pokédex entry, as well as the 1000 XP for the evolution itself.

It’s also worth remembering that bonuses stack in Pokémon Go. This means that if you use a Lucky Egg, your XP rewards will double for the next 30 minutes. If it's a Community Day that gives triple catch XP, that will also stack, offering a whopping 6x multiplier.

Double XP events come and go on a semi-regular basis in Pokémon Go. There’s not only the weekly rotating Spotlight Hour bonus, but monthly Community Days and the occasional Community Day Classics, though these tend to come with fewer bonuses. Beyond that, there's Go Fest, Go Tour and the occasional special events celebrating anything from the seasons to the holidays, and even the release of a new Pokémon in Pokémon Go!

In short, there's no shortage of ways to gain XP, and gain XP quickly — the trick is knowing how and when to make the most of these bonuses.

The Shared Skies Season is here! Go Fest 2024 may have been and gone, but you can still play around with the Fusion mechanic. Meanwhile, ticket holders can finish Go Fest 2024: A Shadowy Caper and The Dusk Settles. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

How to get XP fast in Pokémon Go

Though technically not the 'fastest' method, as it requires several months’ work, the best method is by levelling a Friend to Best Friend status, netting you a whopping 100,000 XP.

The reason this is widely viewed the fastest method is that you can reach Best Friend status with multiple Trainers in a single half-hour window using a Lucky Egg, you can quickly rack up millions of XP, at 200,000 XP per trainer.

As mentioned, this takes some time – 90 days in total – but since all it takes is a single interaction per day (Raid, trade or have either Trainer open a gift), it’s by far and away the most lucrative XP source in the game.

Beyond that, the fastest repeatable method in a short period of time is completing a Tier 5 raid, which will earn you 10,000 XP. With Raid Hours, you can chain multiple Tier 5 Raids in a single session, earning many times that, especially with a Lucky Egg.

The problem with this method is you need other players to help you out. If you can, it's worth joining a local Pokémon Go group – one which regularly schedules Raid attendance around Raid Hours and other events – so you have other Trainers to help you complete Raids easily.

Sadly, with the spring 2023 nerf to the Remote Raid system, playing online with friends is far more difficult than it used to (or needs to) be, so if you can find a good group of friendly local players, make the most of it!.

Otherwise, a very effective means of gaining XP is evolving Pokémon one after another while a Lucky Egg multiplier is active and during a matching Spotlight Hour. That’s 4000 XP per 30-second evolution. Do that over the course of an hour (using two lucky eggs) and you can rack up 480,000 XP.

This bonus is only available once per month, so make sure you wait for it if you want to make the most of it! This method requires some preparation, such as tagging the cheapest evolutions – Pidgeys, Weedles, Caterpies, Wurmples and Whismurs – so you’re ready to go. Keep an eye on our Spotlight Hour guides, as we will let you know when and what you should evolve to make the most of this brief window of opportunity!

To get the most out of this method, capture as many first-evolution creatures as possible, with each capture giving you Candy and a potential creature to evolve. Remember you can get bonus Candy by transferring them back to the Professor, but make sure you have enough to actually evolve.

Another tip to make things easier and save time, is to search for 'Evolve' in your Pokémon list – this will filter every Pokémon you can evolve based on your current Candy. This is incredibly helpful during the Spotlight Hour grind.

Once you get into the habit of going after common creatures and saving them up for such evolution sprees, you'll be flying through trainer levels sooner than you think.

Finally, timing hatching eggs and getting a Pokémon Go Daily Bonus with a Lucky Egg will give you an extra dose of XP – and while along aren’t enough to spend a Lucky Egg on, are worth timing with the above methods if you can manage it.

XP etiquette in Pokémon Go

One thing that you need to know is that the Best Friend system is held in very high regard among players, and those that don't follow XP etiquette in Pokémon Go can quickly be labelled as 'snipers' and ousted by some communities.

The issue is that if you level up to Best Friend, the 100,000 XP bonus triggers for both Trainers at the same time. Or to put it another way, if you spend three months working with someone get a huge XP boost, and they trigger it before you have a chance to use a Lucky Egg, you're not going to thank them for the additional 100,000 XP bonus that you missed out on.

So, in the interest of harmony, there are ways to get around this so everyone gets the biggest possible bonus!

Coordinate IRL (when you know the Trainer)

Keep an eye on the number of days (interactions) you have left with a Trainer. If you know the Trainer in real life, send them a message and warn them when you get close to levelling up, and ask them if they want to coordinate. If both Trainers want to use a Lucky Egg and get the bonus, pick a date and time.

Generally speaking, the start of a Community Day is the best time to do this, as it allows a very simple time point to work towards, which everyone in the world is aware of. If you're working across time zones, set the time to whoever has Community Day first — the Trainer with the later start time simply has to use a Lucky Egg as soon as they open the game (literally before anything else), and they will get the XP bonus, as it takes the game a few seconds for the bonus to push through.

Coordinate IRL (when you don't know the Trainer)

Keep an eye on the number of days (interactions) you have left with a Trainer. If you don't know the Trainer in real life, message them on Campfire or simply rename your buddy Pokémon to the time you want to level up your friendship. 'LvUp CD Start', for example, will get the message across – anyone who could level up with you will see your Buddy name on the screen before opening a gift.

Again, the start of a Community Day is the best time to do this, as it allows a very simple time point to work towards, which everyone in the world is aware of. If you're working across time zones, set the time to whoever has Community Day first — the Trainer with the later start time simply has to use a Lucky Egg as soon as they open the game (literally before anything else), and they will get the XP bonus, as it takes the game a few seconds for the bonus to push through.

Warn others if you mess up

We're all human, we all make mistakes. Sometimes you will open a gift, realise your mistake and panic as you hope your fellow Trainer won't be upset by your misclick. Worry not — all is not lost.

While you may have missed out on the bonus XP, you can often message your friend and warn them of what happened (ideally with a brief apology). This advanced warning will allow them to use a Lucky Egg and catch the XP when they open the game. It's not ideal, but it's a good safety net.

That's all we can say about levelling up for now! Good luck and may Arceus bless you with Excellent Curve Balls on your way to Level 50.