Overview
A Pokémon Storage Upgrade permanently expands the number of caught and hatched Pokémon you can hold in your collection. A standard purchase in the shop costs 200 PokéCoins and immediately adds 50 permanent slots to your Pokémon Storage. Because Pokémon Storage and the Item Bag have separate limits, buying a Pokémon Storage Upgrade will not fix a full Item Bag when you spin PokéStops.
When you are close to your limit, appraising catches, trading, transferring unwanted Pokémon to Professor Willow, or sending Pokémon to Pokémon HOME can also free up space.
How to get it
Purchase Pokémon Storage for 200 PokéCoins in the in-game shop when your account is below the current purchase limit, or watch for occasional event bundles in the shop and Pokémon GO Web Store.
Reach specific milestones in the current leveling system (starting at Level 20 and up to Level 80) to earn up to 350 permanent Pokémon Storage slots.
How to use it
Check whether your Pokémon Storage or Item Bag is full before buying, then purchase the matching upgrade in the shop.
The additional 50 slots apply immediately to your Pokémon Storage capacity only; there is no inventory item to activate.
Worth knowing
Keep some empty Pokémon slots before a long catching session. Increasing Item Bag capacity does not increase Pokémon capacity.
Maximum capacities can increase over time. Use the current in-game cap rather than an old total from a guide.
Leave room before a timed catching or hatching session
Reaching your full Pokémon Storage limit blocks you from starting wild encounters and prevents you from placing an Egg into an incubator, because each incubating Egg reserves one Pokémon Storage slot for when it hatches. Buying an Item Bag upgrade does not resolve this restriction; your Pokémon Storage needs its own open slots.
Before starting Incense or a Mystery Box, estimate how many catches you plan to keep and leave room for checking their appraisals. A 50-slot upgrade provides capacity, but tagging and reviewing catches before a timed session can also reduce interruptions.
Permanent storage and level-up rewards
Shop storage expansions are permanent and remain after events end. Under the current leveling system introduced in October 2025, Trainers also earn up to 350 permanent Pokémon Storage slots across seven milestones: +25 at Level 20, +50 at Level 40, +25 at Level 55, +50 at Level 60, +25 at Level 75, +75 at Level 78, and +100 at Level 80. These progression rewards can take eligible accounts beyond the standard shop purchase limit.
Always check your current capacity and upgrade availability in the shop, as maximum caps are raised periodically ahead of major events.
Price and collection planning
Each standard upgrade in the shop costs 200 PokéCoins and adds 50 permanent slots. Buying four upgrades therefore adds 200 slots for 800 PokéCoins. Storage upgrades also occasionally appear in discounted event or limited-time bundles in the in-game shop and the Pokémon GO Web Store. Whatever method you use, the expanded capacity applies immediately to your account—there is no item placed in your Item Bag to activate later.
For example, 480 Pokémon in a 500-space collection leaves room for 20 more. One upgrade raises the limit to 550 and leaves 70 spaces. Reserve some of that headroom for event catches you want to appraise or trade before making transfer decisions.
Pokémon Storage and Egg storage have separate capacity limits. Expanding your Pokémon Storage does not add another regular Egg slot beyond the standard nine, increase the three-slot bonus Egg storage area, or provide an additional incubator. However, you still need at least one open Pokémon Storage slot whenever you place an Egg into an incubator.
When your Pokémon Storage is full, accessory devices such as the Explorer Gadget cannot catch Pokémon, whether through automatic throws or button presses. Expanding only your Item Bag allows the Explorer Gadget to spin PokéStops and Gym Photo Discs for items, but you must free up or expand Pokémon Storage before it can resume catching.
