Zwift XP, Levels and Unlocks Explained

It’s getting cold outside, time to level up your cycling game indoors. If you ride on Zwift, you might be wondering how many rider levels are available, how you achieve them and what you unlock as you go.

There are currently 50 60 rider levels in Zwift, for a long time the cap was set at 25, then it was 50 and now you can go all the way to 60. Everyone starts at level 1, and you move up through the levels by gaining XP points in the game.

Finding Your Zwift Rider Level

To see your current level, check the rider console while in game. Below speed, distant, elevation and ride time is a bar which shows current level progress and below that to the left is your current Zwift rider level.

Every-time you level up, an in-game notice will pop up across the screen.

Seeing your Current Zwift XP Points

You’ll notice the XP progress bar doesn’t provide a numerical value for the number of XP points you have. To see your current XP, go into the game Menu and your current XP progress will appear there.

How Do I Get XP in Zwift?

For the most part, the bulk of your XP in Zwift will be earned by simply grinding through mile after mile (or kilometer) of riding. There are a few other ways to gain XP as well, though:

• Every workout block completed will reward XP, how the actual XP calculation is performed is unknown
• Points are awarded for some in-game power ups:
  • Large Bonus Power Up: +250 experience points
  • Small Bonus Power Up: +10 experience points
• You get 10 XP points every time you complete a KOM or sprint segment
• The spinner atop Alpe du Zwift will reward 250 XP if it lands on a prize you’ve already won
• Route badges reward XP ranging from 60 XP to 820 XP

How Distance XP Points are Calculated in Zwift

The calculation for awarding XP points for distance in Zwift is a little wonky. Here’s why, Zwift awards 20 XP for every kilometer ridden or 30 XP for every mile ridden. The calculation depends on whether you chose imperial or metric in the Zwift settings. Those of use that know our math, know that 1 mile equates to 1.61 kilometers, so if points were awarded equally between imperial and metric it would be 20 XP per km and 32.2 XP per mile.

That’s right, if you’re riding in imperial (miles) you’re actually going to level up slower. There’s about a 7% difference, to be exact. That might not seem like a huge difference, but by the time you grind to level 50 it’s a difference of over 1000 miles of riding.

Zwift Level Unlocks and Miles/Kilometers Per Level

Zwift Bike Frame & Wheelset Level Requirements

In addition to level unlocks, many wheelsets and bike frames in the Zwift Drop Shop have level requirements.

Zwift Bike Frame Level Requirements

Zwift Wheelset Level Requirements

How to Earn Zwift XP Points as Fast as Possible

A few tips to rack up XP points as fast as possible:

• Change your display from miles to kilometers
• Ride with pace partners for XP multipliers
• Groups rides are a great way to go faster via drafting and thus rack up more distance in the same amount of time you would normally ride
• When completing a workout use the TT bike and an aero wheelset on the Volcano circuit, this will maximize distance during the workout. Stick to the workout and complete every interval with a start to maximize points.
• For general solo rides; choose aero everything and stick to flat routes if you want to rack up points quickly.