If you’re a returning player, coming back to Pokémon GO after a long hiatus, there’s never been a better time to hit max level. With new features like Raids, you can unlock powerful Pokémon by defeating bosses — and you can even do it all solo if you’re high level. Hitting Level 40 is going to take a lot of time and dedication, but there is a way to speed up the process.
Play the game daily, and it is absolutely possible to reach Level 40 in about three months. Now, for any other game that might sound insane, but this is Pokémon GO we’re talking about — it’s a F2P mobile game, they’re not designed to be ‘completed’ quickly, especially if you don’t want to spend any real life money. Still, for a F2P game, getting to 40 is totally possible, and here’s a very simple guide explaining what you’ll want to do to reach max level quickly.
More Pokemon GO tips, tricks, and FAQs:
- Pokemon GO: 9 Essential Tips, Tricks & Answers To Your Questions
- Pokemon GO: How to Become A Gym Leader
- Pokemon GO: How to Earn Coins (Fast) & What They’re Used For
The Fastest Way To Get To Level 40 | Quick XP Guide
Getting to Lvl 40 extremely quickly is all about using the new Friends and Gifting system. You get XP for sending gifts and opening gifts — you can open 20 gifts a day, and send 100 gifts a day. It takes a long time to become Best Friends, but once you do you’ll be rolling in XP. Especially if you add the max number of friends and keep up with the gift-giving!
Here’s a quick explanation.
- Gaining Levels Fast With Friends / Gifting
- Add 115 friends to your friends list.
- Exchange gifts daily. Try to send / open the max number of gifts. (Send: 100, Open: 20)
- Doing so will eventually build up your friend status and unlock Best Friends.
- It takes about 90 days, if you optimize your sending.
And that’s literally it! The trouble is finding 115 friends to add that will open your gifts. Luckily, there’s a community build specifically for that — visit r/PokemonGOTrades. There, you can find lots of friends that will give you gifts, as long as you give everyone else gifts too. It’s mutually beneficial for everyone!
Just remember that you can get non-Egg items as gifts if you open the gifts at night instead of during the day. If you see a friend has a glowing silhouette, that means they’ve leveled up for the day — your friend status will slowly level up, so don’t open presents from a friend that’s leveled up. You can only increase a friend level once per day, so opening the gifts will be a waste.
There’s another optional method you can use to earn more XP — evolving lots and lots of Pokémon. You’ll get 500 XP for every evolution, and 1,000 XP for using a Lucky Egg.
Personally, I think the friends / gift system is best, especially if you don’t want to go out and walk to your Pokestops every day, or if your Pokestops are far away if you’re living in a rural area. It makes Pokémon GO possible, even if you’re far from those hotspots.
More Pokémon GO guides:
- Pokemon GO: Where to Find (And Catch) Pokemon | Spawn Locations
- Pokemon GO: iOS & Android Compatibility – Which Versions Work
- Pokemon GO: Easy Ways to Earn XP & Level Up Fast
- Pokemon GO: How to Take In-Game Screenshots
- Pokemon GO: How to Become A Gym Leader
- Pokemon GO: Easy Ways to Earn XP & Level Up Fast
- Pokemon GO: Is It Out In Your Country? | Availability List
- Pokemon GO: All the Moves, Ranked Best to Worst | Complete List
- Pokemon GO: 6 Essential Facts You Need to Know About the Buddy System