What Level Do You Have to Be to Trade in Pokémon GO?

There are three factors that come into play when trading in Pokémon GO.
There are three factors that come into play when trading in Pokémon GO. / Photo courtesy of Niantic

What level do you have to be to trade in Pokémon GO?

There are three factors that come into play when trading in Pokémon GO. Here's a breakdown of how to get started and the requirements involved.

What Level Do You Have to Be to Trade in Pokémon GO?

Trainers need to be at least Level 10 or higher to trade in Pokémon GO. Additionally, the fundamental aspects of trading revolve around friendship level and Stardust.

To trade in Pokémon GO, the amount of Stardust needed for the transaction to go through depends on the kind of trade that is taking place, and what level of friendship the two trainers are at with one another.

Here are the amounts of Stardust needed to make a Standard Trade in Pokémon GO:

  • Good Friend: 100
  • Great Friend: 80
  • Ultra Friend: 8
  • Best Friend: 4

Here are the amounts of Stardust needed to make a Shiny or Legendary (caught) Special Trade in Pokémon GO:

  • Good Friend: 20,000
  • Great Friend: 16,000
  • Ultra Friend: 1,600
  • Best Friend: 800

Here are the amounts of Stardust needed to make a Shiny or Legendary (uncaught) Special Trade in Pokémon GO:

  • Good Friend: 1,000,000
  • Great Friend: 800,000
  • Ultra Friend: 80,000
  • Best Friend: 40,000

As such, trainers may want to hold off on making higher-level trades until they become Best Friends with one another.

In Pokémon GO, trainers can increase the quality of their friendships simply by sending and receiving gifts to/from one another, battling together in Raids and battling each other in PvP battles.

One game mechanic to be aware of, but not count on, is the Lucky Trade. In Pokémon GO, trainers can randomly become Lucky Friends with a Best Friend, making their next trade result in a Lucky Pokémon, which costs half as much resources to power up than usual.

When trading, trainers should also note that the stats of the exchanged Pokémon could change after the transaction is complete.

For more on Pokémon GO, feel free to check out our Gym Defender tier list for August 2021, and our breakdown of the strongest Eevee evolution in the game.