Whether you are a day-one player or just starting your journey, Stardust remains one of the most essential resources in Pokémon GO. Without it, you cannot power up your Pokémon, unlock second Charged Attacks, or trade with friends.
With the mobile experience in mind, we have overhauled and consolidated our Stardust guides into one single, scannable resource for 2026. Here is your definitive guide to optimising your Stardust grind.
💡 Note: Keep in mind that whenever you have a Star Piece active, all of your Stardust gains are multiplied by 1.5 for 30 minutes. The stardust rates shown in this article are base (non-boosted) rates. You can easily pick these up from the in-game shop to help maximise your grind!
Catching is your primary Stardust engine. While the standard catch yields 100 Stardust (300 for a second-stage evolution, 500 for a third-stage), certain species grant massive bonuses – follow this link for a guide on Pokémon that give extra Stardust on catch.
💡 Note: Catching a Pokémon with a weather boost adds a 25% Stardust bonus to the base yield. Your First Catch of the Day rewards an extra 1,800 Stardust, which jumps to 9,000 Stardust on your 7-day streak.
Max Battles have become one of the most lucrative Stardust sources in the game. Dropping a Star Piece before completing high-tier Max Battles is a fantastic way to grind.
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1-Star to 3-Star Raids/Max Battles: Base rewards vary, but standard Raids guarantee 1,000 Stardust upon completion.
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5-Star Max Battles: 15,000 Stardust.
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6-Star Max Battles: 25,000 Stardust.
Walking passively earns you bulk Stardust through Adventure Sync (rewarded on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. local time).
Weekly Adventure Sync Milestones:
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25 km: 3,000 Stardust
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50 km: 10,000 Stardust
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100 km: 20,000 Stardust
The table below shows daily distance/step goals to reach Adventure Sync rewards.
| Weekly Distance (km) | Daily Distance (km) | Avg Daily Steps | Daily Distance (Miles) | Imperial Weekly Distance(Miles) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 3.57 | 4593 | 2.22 | 15.53 |
| 50 | 7.14 | 9317 | 4.44 | 31.07 |
| 100 | 14.28 | 18380 | 8.88 | 62.14 |
Egg Hatching Yields:
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2 km Eggs: 400 – 800 Stardust
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5 km & 7 km Eggs: 800 – 1,600 Stardust
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10 km Eggs: 1,600 – 3,200 Stardust
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12 km Eggs: 3,200 – 6,400 Stardust
You have to spend Stardust to compete, but the GO Battle League (GBL) is highly profitable over a season.
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Set Rewards: Winning matches in a set of five grants Stardust that scales with your GBL Rank.
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End-of-Season Rewards: Upon the season ending, you receive a massive bulk Stardust payout based on your final rank. Always activate a Star Piece before tapping the “Battle” menu when a new season begins.
Battling NPCs is a consistent daily earner:
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Team GO Rocket Grunts: 500 Stardust per win.
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Team GO Rocket Leaders (Arlo, Cliff, Sierra): 1,000 Stardust per win.
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Giovanni: 5,000 Stardust per win.
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Team Leaders (Blanche, Candela, Spark): One reward per day. Great League yields 300–600, Ultra League yields 400–800, and Master League yields 500–1,000 Stardust.
Turn your excess Nanab Berries into Stardust. You can feed up to 10 berries per Pokémon to a maximum of 10 different Gym defenders every 30 minutes.
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Base Reward: 30 Stardust per berry.
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Maximum Yield: Feeding 10 berries to a full Gym of 6 Pokémon yields 1,800 Stardust (2,700 with a Star Piece).
Gifts from friends provide a steady daily trickle.
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Normal gifts drop bundles of 100, 200, or 300 Stardust.
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If your Item Bag is full, you can toggle a setting to open gifts anyway; this guarantees 50 Stardust per gift instead of items.
You can open more gifts per day by increasing your GO Pass tier/rank.
