Overview
Candy XL is the family-specific resource used to power up a Pokémon beyond level 40, up to the maximum Pokémon level of 50. It is tracked separately from ordinary Candy for each evolutionary family and does not replace the Stardust required for each half-level upgrade.
Under the current leveling system, where Trainer levels go up to 80, you unlock the ability to collect Candy XL at Trainer level 31. Because a Pokémon can only be powered up to 10 levels above your current Trainer level, reaching Trainer level 31 lets you start powering a Pokémon past level 40, while reaching Trainer level 40 is required to push a Pokémon all the way to level 50.
How to get it
Earn it from catches, Egg hatches, transfers, trades, Buddy walking, evolutions, Gym Berry feeding, Raid Battles, and Max Battles after reaching Trainer level 31.
Convert Rare Candy XL, or exchange 100 ordinary family Candy for one Candy XL.
How to use it
Spend it alongside Stardust to power up Pokémon from level 40 to level 50, or combine it with Max Particles to upgrade a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon's Max Moves to Level 3.
Check the full build cost before converting resources. The ordinary-Candy conversion cannot be undone.
Worth knowing
The 100-to-one exchange is expensive: 10,000 ordinary Candy yields only 100 Candy XL.
A Pinap Berry or Silver Pinap Berry doubles ordinary catch Candy, but it does not increase Candy XL drops. Instead, Mega Evolve a High-Level or Max-Level Pokémon of a matching type to boost your chance of earning Candy XL from catches.
Why converting ordinary Candy is expensive
Exchanging ordinary Candy for Candy XL uses a strict 100-to-1 conversion rate. Powering a standard Pokémon from level 40 to level 50 across all 20 half-level upgrades requires 296 Candy XL alongside 250,000 Stardust. Funding that entire 296 Candy XL bill through conversion alone would consume 29,600 ordinary Candy, before accounting for leveling the Pokémon to 40 or unlocking moves.
Treat ordinary-Candy conversion as a way to spend a genuine surplus on common species rather than your primary path to level 50. That same ordinary Candy is still needed for evolutions, unlocking a second Charged Attack, changing forms, or unlocking and leveling up Max Moves. Power-up costs also vary by status: taking a Shadow Pokémon from level 40 to 50 costs 360 Candy XL, whereas a Purified Pokémon costs 272 Candy XL.
Always inspect the power-up cost for the specific individual you are building before converting ordinary Candy.
Building an XL balance
Once you reach Trainer level 31, you can earn Candy XL from catching Pokémon, hatching Eggs, transferring Pokémon, trading, walking with your Buddy, evolving Pokémon, feeding Berries at Gyms, and completing Raid Battles or Max Battles. Most of these activities roll a chance for Candy XL rather than a guaranteed drop, though higher-level wild catches and longer trade distances improve your odds.
Certain catches guarantee base Candy XL upon capture: first-stage evolutions guarantee at least 1 Candy XL (up to 3), second-stage evolutions guarantee at least 2 (up to 3), and Legendary, Mythical, and Ultra Beast catches guarantee at least 3 (up to 6). Having an active Mega-Evolved or Primal Reverted Pokémon at High Level or Max Level also increases your chance of earning extra Candy XL when catching Pokémon that share its type.
You can manually top off a family's balance in two ways.
On a Pokémon's summary screen, the Candy-to-Candy-XL exchange trades 100 ordinary Candy for 1 Candy XL; for example, converting 900 ordinary Candy yields 9 Candy XL, not 900.
Alternatively, you can spend Rare Candy XL from your Item Bag, which converts at a 1-to-1 rate into the Candy XL of the Pokémon you select.
Powering up past level 40 is not the only place where you will spend Candy XL. Upgrading any Max Move on a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokémon to its final tier (Level 3, or Max!) requires family Candy XL alongside Max Particles, even if that Pokémon is still below level 40. Reserve that Candy XL separately when planning a Max Battle build.
Keep in mind that while a Lucky Pokémon enjoys a 50% Stardust discount on power-ups, its Candy XL cost remains unchanged at 296 Candy XL for a standard species.
When Candy XL first launched in late 2020, Trainers had to reach level 40 before they could accumulate it, but the threshold was permanently lowered to Trainer level 31 in June 2021 and stayed at level 31 when the Trainer level cap expanded to 80. Use the in-game power-up preview to check how far your current Trainer level allows you to push a Pokémon and to verify the total Stardust and Candy XL required before committing your resources.
