Hitting level 40 used to be the end of the road. Back in the early days of Niantic’s mobile juggernaut, that blue bar just stopped moving, and for a long time, we all just sat there collecting XP that went nowhere. Then the GO Beyond update dropped, and suddenly we were staring down the barrel of level 50. It changed the math. Now, Pokémon Go level rewards aren’t just about getting a handful of Ultra Balls or a couple of Max Potions; they are the gateway to XL Candy, Master Balls, and the prestige of posing in a level 50 jacket while your friends are still stuck grinding Excellent throws in the mid-40s.
Honestly, the grind is brutal. If you’re looking at the jump from level 49 to 50, you’re looking at 30 million XP. That is more than the entire journey from level 1 to level 40 combined. Multiple times over. It’s wild. But the rewards—and the requirements to get them—are the only thing keeping most of us from putting the phone down and actually looking at the scenery during our walks.
The Early Levels are Basically a Tutorial
The first 20 levels are a blur. You catch a Pidgey, you level up. You evolve a Weedle, you level up. Niantic showers you with basic Incubators and Lure Modules during this phase because they want you hooked. You’ll notice that Pokémon Go level rewards at this stage are mostly about utility. You get Great Balls at level 12 and Ultra Balls at level 20.
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Level 20 is the first real "soft cap." Once you hit 20, the XP requirements start to scale in a way that feels like a real game. You stop getting a level every thirty minutes. You start caring about Pinap Berries. At level 25, you get your first taste of the "rare" stuff, like Charged TMs, which are essential if you want your Charizard to actually have a decent move set instead of some junk like Fire Blast.
The Level 30 Milestone
Level 30 is where the "real" Pokémon Go begins for most players. Why? Because this is the point where you can encounter the highest possible CP Pokémon in the wild. Before 30, if you and a friend see the same Snorlax, it might be 2000 CP for them and 400 CP for you. Once you hit 30, everyone sees the same stats. This is huge for local communities and Discord callouts.
The rewards for level 30 are a nice little care package:
- 30 Ultra Balls
- 20 Max Potions
- 20 Max Revives
- 20 Razz Berries
- 3 Incense
- 3 Incubators
- 3 Lure Modules
- 3 Lucky Eggs
It’s a lot of stuff. It feels like a payday. But then you hit the wall. The "Level 30-40 Trench" is where most casual players give up.
Cracking the Level 40 Code
Level 40 is the old-school prestige mark. When you hit it, you unlock the ability to power up your Pokémon to level 50 using XL Candy. This is arguably the most important "reward" in the entire game. Without XL Candy, you are fundamentally locked out of the Master League in GBL (Go Battle League). You can't compete. You’ll get shredded by level 50 Dragonites and Mewtwos.
When you hit 40, you get a massive dump of items including 40 Ultra Balls and 4 Lucky Eggs. But the real prize is the Legacy 40 Medal if you did it back in the day, or just the sheer relief of finally seeing those new level-up requirements appear. Because from 41 to 50, XP isn't enough. You have to prove you actually know how to play the game.
The Level 40 to 50 Requirements and Rewards
This is where Niantic gets creative—and a little mean. To move past 40, you have to complete specific tasks. It’s not just about the numbers anymore. It’s about skill. Or, in some cases, just sheer patience.
Level 41 to 45: The Skill Check
For level 41, you need to catch 200 Pokémon in a single day. Sounds easy? Try doing it on a Tuesday when there isn't an event going on. You’ll be hunting for every spawn on your map. The reward for 41 includes 20 Ultra Balls and a raid pass, but the real reward is the access to higher-level encounters.
Level 43 is where things get interesting for PvP players. You need to earn 100,000 Stardust. You also need to use 20 super-effective Charged Attacks. It’s a grind, but the rewards include a special Level 43 Pose for your avatar. It’s the first time the game gives you something that screams "I spend way too much time on this app" to everyone else in the raid lobby.
Level 45 requires you to defeat 100 Team GO Rocket Grunts. It is tedious. It is repetitive. But the reward is an Elite Fast TM. In the world of Pokémon Go level rewards, Elite TMs are gold. They let you pick specific legacy moves, like Smack Down on Tyranitar, without waiting for a yearly event.
Level 46 to 50: The Elite Tier
Level 47 is the one people complain about the most. You have to win 30 raids using a team of all unique Pokémon species. Then you have to win a three-star raid using only Pokémon with 1,500 CP or less. It’s a genuine puzzle. You can't just throw six Mewtwos at the problem and hope for the best.
By the time you hit level 48, Niantic wants you to be social. You have to walk 25km a week for eight weeks. You have to trade 10 Lucky Pokémon. The rewards at this level are mostly vanity items and some XL Rare Candy. XL Rare Candy is the rarest resource in the game. It allows you to level up Legendaries that you can’t easily farm.
Level 50 is the mountain peak.
- XP Needed: 30,000,000 (just for this level!)
- Requirements: Make 999 Excellent throws. Catch a Legendary Pokémon in your next 5 Legendary encounters. Defeat a Team GO Rocket Leader 3 times using Pokémon with under 2,500 CP.
- The Big Reward: 50 Ultra Balls, 5 Super Incubators, 2 XL Rare Candies, 5 Incense, and the Level 50 Jacket.
The jacket is the ultimate flex. When you see a trainer in a raid lobby wearing that Level 50 gear, you know they’ve caught tens of thousands of Pokémon and probably haven't slept since 2016.
The "Secret" Rewards: XL Candy and Encounter Pools
We talk a lot about the items, but the real Pokémon Go level rewards are the systemic changes to your account.
At level 31, you start earning XL Candy from catches. This is the "hidden" reward that matters most. XL Candy drops are RNG-based (Random Number Generation), but the higher the level of the Pokémon you catch, the better your odds. If you’re level 30, you get zero. If you’re level 31, you start building the resources needed for level 50 Pokémon. This makes level 31 arguably more important than level 40 for long-term progression.
Then there are the Level-Up Special Research stories.
When you hit levels 43, 45, 48, and 50, you unlock special research tasks that aren't timed. They offer some of the best rewards in the game, including encounters with rare Pokémon like Unown and Tirtouga, and massive amounts of Stardust. The Level 50 Challenge research actually gives you a Master Ball in some iterations, or at least a guaranteed encounter with a powerful Legendary.
Is the Grind Actually Worth It?
There is a legitimate debate in the community about whether pushing for level 50 is "worth it."
On one hand, the stat difference between a level 40 Pokémon and a level 50 Pokémon is roughly 10%. In a raid, that rarely makes the difference between winning and losing unless you are trying to solo a Tier 5 boss. In the Great League and Ultra League, sometimes a level 40 Pokémon is actually better because of CP caps.
However, the prestige and the Master Ball access are hard to ignore. If you are a completionist, the Pokémon Go level rewards are the only way to "finish" the game. Plus, Niantic has a habit of introducing new features that are level-gated. For example, Wayfarer (the system for suggesting new PokéStops) was originally locked to high-level players. If you want to shape the game in your local neighborhood, you need the levels.
Strategy for Maximizing Your Rewards
If you’re stuck in the 30s or low 40s and feel like the rewards are too far away, you need to change how you play. Stop catching everything manually. Get a Pokémon GO Plus + or a similar auto-catcher. These devices won't hit Excellent throws, but they will vacuum up thousands of XP while you’re driving or working.
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Next, abuse the "Friendship" system.
The biggest "reward" in Pokémon Go isn't an item; it's the 100,000 XP you get for hitting Best Friends with someone. If you pop a Lucky Egg right before that interaction, it becomes 200,000 XP. Do that with five friends at once, and you’ve just gained a million XP in thirty seconds. That is faster than any other method in the game.
Actionable Next Steps to Level Up Faster:
- Focus on Excellent Throws: An Excellent throw now gives 1,000 XP. With a Lucky Egg during an event, that’s 4,000 XP per catch. It’s the most consistent way to grind.
- Save your Rare Candy XL: Do not spend this on anything other than Mythicals (like Mew or Zarude) that you cannot raid for.
- Stack Friendships: Use Discord or Reddit to find friends globally. Send gifts daily. Coordinate your level-ups to maximize Lucky Eggs.
- Clear the Rocket Grunts: You’ll need those 1,000+ battles eventually for the level 45 and 47 requirements. Don't wait until you're there to start grinding the medal.
- Hold your Evolved Forms: If a 2x Catch XP or 2x Evolution XP event is coming up, save your high-spawn commons.
The journey to level 50 is a marathon. The rewards are designed to be milestones in a journey that takes years, not weeks. Whether you care about the avatar items or just want the XL Candy, the progression system is the backbone of the game. Just don't forget to look up from your screen once in a while. That level 50 jacket looks cool, but it won't keep you warm in a real rainstorm.