Trainers who reach level 40 before Thursday, December 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. local time will earn the title of Legacy 40 Trainer and earn some exclusive rewards, like Timed Research that rewards an exclusive Gyarados Hat avatar item and a special Legacy 40 medal!

To help Trainers reach level 40 faster, a double Catch XP bonus will be live from Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8) to Thursday, December 31, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Additionally, Trainers will soon be able to power up their Pokémon to a higher CP than was previously possible at each Trainer level. Try powering up your Pokémon to see the difference!

Level 40 Trainers, get ready for a whole new challenge!

Already at level 40 and excited to finally put your extra XP to use? Well, the wait’s nearly over—and there’s a ton to look forward to when you level up! However, surpassing level 40 will take more than just XP. You’ll also need to complete new Level-Up Research between levels—and these tasks can be quite challenging!

Here’s some of what you can expect to face in order to reach each level.

• Level 41: Submit your catching skills to a test of endurance! You’ll be expected to catch a high number of Pokémon in a single day, along with other tasks, in order to reach level 41.
• Level 42: From evolving Eevee into each of its available Evolutions, to using certain Evolution items on specific Pokémon, reaching level 42 will test your knowledge of Pokémon Evolutions.
• Level 43: Show us your mastery of Gym battles and Raid Battles! You’ll also need to have earned a certain number of Platinum medals before you can advance to level 43. You might find yourself with a surprise avatar item at the end, too!
• Level 44: Battling other Trainers has been a fundamental aspect of the Pokémon RPGs since the beginning, but it’s still relatively new to Pokémon GO. Have you been developing your skills in battle? You’ll have to if you want to reach level 44!
• Level 45: You’ve battled in Gyms, raids, and the GO Battle League, but to reach level 45 you’ll need to focus your efforts on taking down those pesky Team GO Rocket villains! You might find yourself with a surprise avatar item at the end, too!
• Level 46: Get ready to explore, intrepid Trainers! To reach level 46, you’ll need to complete a number of Field Research tasks, hatch a certain number of Eggs, and document your daily adventures using GO Snapshot!
• Level 47: You may think you’ve mastered the art of battling in raids, but the requirements to reach level 47 will really test your mettle! For example, one challenge will require you to win raids with teams that meet certain qualifications—and that’s just the beginning!
• Level 48: The requirements to reach level 48 are focused on one of the most important things in all of Pokémon GO: your friendship with your Buddy Pokémon! From kilometers walked to the number of Souvenirs you’ve collected, reaching level 48 will require you and your buddy to be laser-focused on developing your friendship with one another. You might find yourself with a surprise avatar item at the end, too!
• Level 49: If there’s one thing that matches the importance of your friendship with your Buddy Pokémon, it’s your friendships with other Trainers. The people we meet on our Pokémon journeys bring so much to our lives, and cultivating those friendships is key to becoming an amazing Pokémon Trainer. Reach level 49 by sending Gifts, acquiring Lucky Pokémon through trades, and more.
• Level 50: This is it! The home stretch! To reach the highest available level in Pokémon GO, you must master all aspects of the game. Some examples include making Excellent Throws, catching Legendary Pokémon, and defeating Team GO Rocket Leaders with Pokémon under 1,500 CP, so you can tell this will be the ultimate test of whether you’re ready to stand among the most accomplished Trainers in Pokémon GO. And, of course, you might also find yourself with a surprise avatar item at the end!

Pokémon GO will also be introducing Candy XL. These Candies will be required to power up Pokémon to even higher CP than was previously possible, and can be acquired either by catching Pokémon or by converting and combining Candy into Candy XL. There will also be other ways to obtain Candy XL, so stay tuned!

Keep an eye out for special Timed Research to complete in December to help you level up! And for those of you working on pushing past level 40, why not give your fellow Trainers a hand as they try to reach level 40 themselves? There’ll be tons of opportunities for everyone to earn XP throughout November and December—like during the 12 Days of Friendship event! Learn more about this event here.

GO Beyond: Exciting Pokémon GO gameplay changes to come!

In addition to the updates to XP and Trainer leveling outlined above, you can also look forward to updates regarding encountering and catching Pokémon, Adventure Sync, Buddy Adventure, Field Research, Gifts, and more. We’ll provide more information once these changes go live during the week of November 30, 2020!

Leveling redesign testing premieres in Australia

A portion of level 40 Trainers in Australia will soon be given early access to some of these new features! We’ll be rolling out the level-cap increase to Australia tomorrow for testing before making it available to Trainers around the world. Trainers who make it to level 41 and above during the testing period will receive a survey to provide their feedback. As we tune and rebalance in response to this feedback, the test may change. Level 40 Trainers who power up Pokémon past their previous CP maximum will be unable to use those Pokémon in the Master League format for the time being in order to maintain a fair competition. However, those Pokémon can still defend Gyms.

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game events and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.

—The Pokémon GO team