How to get more Candy and Rare Candy in Pokémon Go

Once you get a taste for Pokémon Go, you're going to want to start evolving and powering up your Pokémon as fast as possible. To evolve you need Candy. A lot of it. To power up you need more Candy (and Stardust). To power up hard-to-find, maybe even Legendary Pokémon, you'll even need the new Rare Candy you can win at Battle Raids.

The amount you need starts small but grows as you get to higher levels. So, how do you get as much Candy as possible to evolve and power up as much as possible? Here's the breakdown!

TL;DR: How do you get the most Candy in Pokémon Go?

Here's your cheat sheet:

  • 3 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 5 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 10 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 6 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 10 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 20 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 5 to 15 Candies per 2 KM Egg hatched.
  • 10 to 21 Candies per 5 KM Egg hatched.
  • 16 to 32 Candies per 10 KM Egg hatched.
  • 1 Candy per Pokémon evolved.
  • 1 Candy per Pokémon transferred to the Professor.
  • 1 Candy per Buddy distance walked.
  • 1 Candy, every once and a while, from feeding a friendly Pokémon on a Gym.
  • 1 Candy per Pokemon Traded > 25 KM
  • 2 Candy per Pokémon Traded 25-100KM
  • 3 Candy per Pokémon Traded > 100KM
  • 2-10 Rare Candies, sometimes, from beating Raid Bosses.
  • 1 Rare Candy for completing specific Field Research tasks

What is Candy in Pokemon Go and why do you want it?

Candy is what you use to evolve your Pokémon into their higher level forms and what you use to power them up to increase their CP (combat power) and HP (hit points) so they sit higher in Gyms and can battle more effectively.

Some Pokémon evolutions take as little as 12 Candy, like Pidgey; others can take 50, 100, or even 400 (hi, Magikarp). Typically, the more Candy you need, the more powerful the evolution. Each Pokémon species has its own specific type of Candy, so you need Dratini Candy to evolve Dragonair and Dragonite, and Bulbasaur Candy to evolve Ivysaur and Venusaur. You can't use Dratini Candy to evolve Bulbasaur or vice versa.

Most recently, it's also needed along with stardust to buy your Pokémon second Charge Moves for Trainer Battles, Raids, and Gyms. There, it ranges based on rarity, with common Pokémon only requiring 10 candy and Legendary, 100.

You can, however, use the new Rare Candy, often awarded when you win Battle Raids or complete Field Research, to power up any kind of Pokémon.

That makes both Candy and Rare Candy so incredibly valuable in Pokémon Go. At least if you want those 3000+ CP Dragonites, Tyranitars, Rhydon, and Vaporeon for your Battle Teams to take out Gyms and take on Raid Bosses. (And up to 2999 Pokémon to sit in Gyms.)

Best Pokémon to evolve, TM, and power up in Pokémon Go

Can you buy Candy and Rare Candy in Pokémon Go?

Sadly, no. Unlike Lucky Eggs, Incubators, Incense, and other items, you can't buy Candy or Rare Candy in the Pokémon Go shop. Unlike Poké Balls, Potions, and Revives, you can't get Candy or Rare Candy by spinning PokéStops either. You can't even get Candy or Rare Candy from leveling up your training.

If you want Candy and Rare Candy — and you do! — you have to get it in one of the ways outlined below.

Do you get Candy from catching Pokémon?

Pokemon Go Ash

Pokemon Go Ash

You do! Every time you catch a Pokémon, you get three (3) Candies for that Pokémon's type. So, for example, if you catch a Pidgey, you get three Pidgey Candies. if you catch an evolved form, you get even more candy. You get five (5) Candies for catching a second-stage evolution and ten (10) Candies for catching a third-stage evolution. So, catch a Pidgeotto or Pidgeot, and you get 5 and 10 Pidgey Candies respectively.

  • 3 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 5 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 10 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild.

How to stack bonuses and catch any Pokémon

Can you double that with a Pinap Berry or Silver Pinap?

Pokemon Go Dratini berry

Pokemon Go Dratini berry (Image credit: iMore/ Rene Ritchie)

For sure! With a Pinap Berry you get double the amount of Candy for a Catc. Feed a Pinap Berry to a Pokémon and then catch it with your next throw and instead of three (3) Candy, you get six (6). Do the same thing for a second- or third-stage Pokémon evolution, and you get 10 and 20 Candy, respectively.

  • 6 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 10 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 20 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.

Silver Pinap work the same but give you a catch bonus as well as doubling candy.

Evolving Pokémon costs Candy but also gives Candy?

Yeah, it's weird. It costs between 12 Candy (Pidgey, Caterpie) and 100 Candy (Dragonite Tyranitar) to evolve. But, every time you evolve, you get 1 Candy back.

So, if you have 23 Pidgey Candy, you can actually evolve two Pidgey, and still be left with 1 Candy. (23 - 12 + 1 = 12 - 12 + 1 = 1.)

  • 1 Candy per Pokémon evolved.

What about transferring Pokémon to the Professor?

You can also get Candy by transferring Pokémon to the Professor. These are typically Pokémon you don't want or need; for example, lower powered duplicates of Pokémon you already have. You get one (1) Candy of the appropriate type per transfer. So, if you transfer a Charizard, Charmeleon, and Charmander, you get one Chamander Candy for each.

  • 1 Candy per Pokémon transferred to the Professor.

How to transfer Pokémon and get extra Candy!

Hatching is a Candy Windfall?

Totally. To get a lot of Candy all at once, you need to hatch Pokémon Eggs. Whenever you get a Pokémon Egg from a Poké Stop, incubate it, walk it, and hatch it, you'll get a good amount of Candy for its type. The amount of Candy you get varies based on the type of Egg and also randomly at the time it hatches. 2 KM Eggs will give you between 5 and 10 Candies. 5 KM Eggs will give you between 10 and 21 Candies. And 10 KM Eggs will give you between 16 and 32 Candies.

  • 5 to 15 Candies per 2 KM Egg hatched.
  • 10 to 21 Candies per 5 KM Egg hatched.
  • 16 to 32 Candies per 10 KM Egg hatched.

How to hatch Pokémon Go Eggs faster

And walking a Pokémon as your Buddy?

If you're not having any luck catching or hatching the Pokémon you need for the Candy you want, you can also choose to make a Pokémon your Buddy. Then, as you walk around with it, you'll be awarded Candy. The distance you have to travel to get each Candy can range from 1 KM to 3 KM or 5 KM. It's loosely based on 1/2 Egg hatching distance but there are some notable differences. (Togepi and Picachu, famously.)

  • 1 Candy per Buddy distance walked.

How to choose the best Buddy in Pokémon Go

What about Gyms, can you get Candy from Gyms now as well?

Supposedly! With the new Pokémon Go Gym system, you motivate friendly Pokémon by feeding the Berries — Razz, Pinap, Nanab, or Golden Razz. Once in a very rare while, you get a Candy for the kind of Pokémon you feed. So, for example, if you feed a Blissey, you get a Blissey Candy.

I've fed hundreds of Berries to Pokémon on Gyms, though, and I can't recall getting a single Candy, so it's likely very rare.

  • 1 Candy, very rarely, from feeding a friendly Pokémon on a Gym.

Can you get Candy from Trading Pokémon with your Friends?

Absolutely. And the greater the distance between where both Pokémon were caught, the more Candy you get.

  • 1 Candy: Under 25KM
  • 2 Candy: Between 25KM and 100KM
  • 3 Candy: Over 100KM

What's Rare Candy and how does it work?

Rare Candy is Candy that can be used on any Pokémon, regardless of what kind of Pokémon it is. For example, you could use the same Rare Candy to evolve or power up a Dragonite as you could a Tyranitar or Amphoros.

It's like regular Candy, just universally applicable. (Which means you might want to save it for ultra-rare Pokémon like Legendaries.)

How do you get Rare Candy in Pokémon Go?

You get Rare Candy for engaging in Raid Battles and beating the Raid Boss. The amount is random and can be anywhere from 1 to 10.

You can also get Rare Candy from completing Field Research tasks.

How to beat Raid Bosses in Pokémon Go

How do you use rare candy in Pokémon Go?

Once you have rare candy, you can use it on any Pokémon you wish.

  1. Tap the Menu button, bottom middle (looks like a Poké Ball).
  2. Tap the Items button, bottom right.
  3. Tap on Rare Candy (scroll down towards the bottom).
  4. Browse or search for the Pokémon you want to use the rare candy on.
  5. Choose the amount of Rare Candy you want to covert.

How to use Rare Candy and what to use it on

Any other ways to get more Pokémon Candy?

On special occasions, Pokémon Go will hold events that temporarily increase the amount of Candy awarded for catching, hatching, transferring, etc. Keep an eye out for the events and you'll get much more Candy and Stardust than normal.

Pokémon Go Events: What's coming up next!

So how do you get more Candy and Rare Candy in Pokémon Go?

  1. Buy a Pokémon Go Plus and catch as many Pokémon as you can, all the time.
  2. Buy Incubators and collect and hatch as many Pokémon Eggs as you can, all the time. (And walk, walk, walk to hatch them.)
  3. Engage in the highest level Raid Battles you can, as your chance of getting Rare Candy — and the amount of Rare Candy — goes up for each Tier.
  4. When and if there's a Candy event, make the most of it. Do all the above and get 2x the Candy for it.

TL;DR: How do you get the most Candy in Pokémon Go?

Here's your cheat sheet:

  • 3 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 5 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 10 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild.
  • 6 Candies per base-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 10 Candies per second-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 20 Candies per third-level Pokémon caught in the wild while using a Pinap Berry.
  • 5 to 15 Candies per 2 KM Egg hatched.
  • 10 to 21 Candies per 5 KM Egg hatched.
  • 16 to 32 Candies per 10 KM Egg hatched.
  • 1 Candy per Pokémon evolved.
  • 1 Candy per Pokémon transferred to the Professor.
  • 1 Candy per Buddy distance walked.
  • 1 Candy, every once and a while, from feeding a friendly Pokémon on a Gym.
  • 1 Candy per Pokemon Traded > 25 KM
  • 2 Candy per Pokémon Traded 25-100KM
  • 3 Candy per Pokémon Traded > 100KM
  • 2-10 Rare Candies, sometimes, from beating Raid Bosses.
  • 1 Rare Candy for completing specific Field Research tasks

Any Pokémon Go questions?

Got any other Pokémon Go problems you need help with? Drop your questions in the comments below!

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.