Mr. Jonathan Awde reports

NEW DRILLING CONNECTS NORTH DARK STAR AND DARK STAR DEPOSITS AND DISCOVERS WESTERN EXPANSION OF DARK STAR

Gold Standard Ventures Corp. has released assay results from 15 holes drilled at the recently discovered North Dark Star gold deposit and the Main Dark Star deposit on its 100-per-cent-owned/controlled Railroad-Pinion project in Nevada's Carlin trend.

This new drilling achieved two major objectives: first, DS16-33, located on the southern edge of North Dark Star, returned 33.1 metres of 0.62 gram per tonne gold within a larger lower-grade interval, confirming the finding from DS16-31 that the North Dark Star and Main Dark Star oxide gold deposits connect to form one large occurrence; second, DS16-26 and DS16-38, drilled to the west of the Main Dark Star resource, discovered a western extension of the high-grade Dark Star mineralization with exciting implications for further growth of the system. DS16-38 returned 24.4 m of 2.03 g/t Au, including a higher-grade interval of 10.7 m of 3.62 g/t Au.

The primary objective of the 2016 North Dark Star drill program was to expand the high-grade gold zone discovered in core hole DS15-13 (15.4 m of 1.85 g/t Au and 97.0 m of 1.61 g/t Au) at the end of the 2015 drill program (see Jan. 21, 2016, news release). DS16-08, located 100 m south of DS15-13, subsequently returned a 126.2 m intercept grading 3.95 g/t Au including higher-grade intervals of 44.0 m of 4.70 g/t Au, 17.9 m of 5.6 g/t Au and 7.9 m of 10.7 g/t Au (see Aug. 9, 2016, news release). DS16-03B, located 120 m south of DS16-08, intersected a 101.2 m section grading 1.50 g/t Au including a higher-grade interval of 32.3 m of 2.87 g/t Au (see Aug. 18, 2016, news release). Then, DS16-21 returned a 56.2 m interval grading 1.83 g/t Au, including higher-grade interval 9.8 m of 3.78 g/t Au (see Sept. 14, 2016, news release), updip to the east of DS16-08 (please visit the company's website to view plan and section maps). All of these intercepts report continuous gold values above the cut-off grade of 0.14 g/t Au established by APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, Canada, in its Dark Star National Instrument 43-101 resource estimate announced on March 3, 2015 (see news release).

Jonathan Awde, chief executive officer and director of Gold Standard, commented: "We now view the Dark Star occurrence as a much larger system with the size and continuity that favour large-scale, efficient exploitation. This year we will pursue the exciting possibility that the Dark Star and Pinion systems may also connect, which would have important implications for our company."

Key highlights

• In the south part of North Dark Star, DS16-33 intersected multiple zones of oxidized gold mineralization including 33.1 m of 0.62 g/t Au and 14.0 m of 0.76 g/t Au (please visit the company's website to view drill hole plan/grade thickness map). When combined with mineralization in DS16-31, the two holes confirm that the new North Dark Star discovery and the Dark Star Main resource are connected and form a continuous gold zone with a strike length of approximately 1,300 m. Mineralization occurs within decalcified, variably silicified and collapse brecciated debris flow conglomerate, the same part of the Pennsylvanian-Permian conglomerate section that hosts gold in core holes DS16-08, DS16-03B, DS16-21 and DS15-13.
• On the west side of Main Dark Star, holes DS16-26 and DS16-38 intersected gold zones including 52.1 m of 1.04 g/t Au and 24.4 m of 2.03 g/t Au, respectively (please visit the company's website to view drill hole plan/grade thickness map). The DS16-38 intercept contained a higher-grade interval of 10.7 m of 3.62 g/t Au which was associated with a thrust and feldspar porphyry dikes. These oxide and reduced intercepts are more than twice the average grade of the Main Dark Star resource and expand the resource to the west. Mineralization remains open in several directions and this target will be aggressively followed up in 2017.
• DS16-18, a PQ-size metallurgical core hole drilled into the Main Dark Star resource, intersected 72.9 m of 1.02 g/t Au in pervasively oxidized and altered middle debris flow conglomerate in the favourable Pennsylvanian-Permian host section. The core hole also intersected two higher-grade gold zones including 12.0 m of 2.24 g/t Au and 12.0 m of 1.83 g/t Au. DS16-18 is the first of three core holes completed into the Main Dark Star resource. Material from these intercepts will be used for column leach testing at Kappes, Cassiday & Associates in Reno, Nev.
• DS16-26 and -38 confirm a new gold target beneath a thrust fault on the west side of Main Dark Star. At this location, the West fault is reinterpreted as a thrust fault juxtaposing rocks of the Chainman, Webb and Tripon Pass formations in the hangingwall, against silty limestone and middle conglomerate calcareous debris flows of the favourable Pennsylvanian-Permian host section in the footwall. These footwall rocks are the preferred host for Main Dark Star and North Dark Star mineralization. Gold mineralization is focused proximal to the thrust contact and within the underlying Pennsylvanian-Permian carbonate rocks. This thrust is likely to extend westward about two kilometres to Pinion. Gold is associated with brecciation, decalcification, silicification, barite, iron oxides and pyrite.
• Drill holes DS16-29, -29A and -30 were cost-effective RC holes, outboard of Dark Star, scouting for gold systems and testing new geologic concepts derived from the company's gravity and CSAMT programs.

Mac Jackson, Gold Standard's vice-president of exploration, stated: "This key intercept in DS16-33 connects North and Main Dark Star, adding substantial tonnage to the resource. The connection occurs along the north-striking Ridgeline fault, which continues to be an important control on gold mineralization. Based on what we see at North Dark Star, thicker and better-grade zones are likely to occur along the Ridgeline fault, moving through this area of connection and into Main Dark Star. To the west of Main Dark Star, the intercepts in DS16-26 and DS16-38 give us a new footwall of west thrust setting to explore for Pennsylvanian-Permian-hosted deposits over a large area, extending from West Dark Star to Pinion. In 2017, we are looking forward to coming out with a maiden resource for North Dark Star and continuing to explore for Pennsylvanian-Permian-hosted deposits along the Ridgeline fault and beneath the newly interpreted West thrust."

Dark Star drill results are shown in the table.

                   DARK STAR DRILL RESULTS

Drill hole         Intercept     Thickness             Au
                          (m)           (m)          (g/t)

DS16-18             0.3-73.2          72.9           1.02
Including          35.2-47.2          12.0           2.24
Including          59.6-71.6          12.0           1.83
DS16-25                            No assays >0.14 g/t Au
DS16-26          187.2-225.3          38.1           0.73
Including        203.9-208.5           4.6           2.61
                 231.4-263.0          31.6           0.49
                 274.1-326.2          52.1           1.04
Including        291.8-298.5           6.7           2.03
Including        306.3-322.2          15.9           2.00
                 386.9-388.0           1.1           0.19
DS16-28              5.2-7.0           1.8           0.25
DS16-29                            No assays >0.14 g/t Au
DS16-29A                           No assays >0.14 g/t Au
DS16-30                            No assays >0.14 g/t Au
DS16-31            62.8-64.3           1.5           0.23
                   67.7-70.3           2.6           0.17
                   84.8-86.0           1.2           0.26
                 103.0-107.3           4.3           0.22
                 118.0-135.7          17.7           0.40
DS16-32            69.8-71.8           2.0           0.15
DS16-33            69.2-92.5          23.3           0.28
                 104.3-105.8           1.5           0.17
                 113.4-116.5           3.1           0.22
                 121.0-126.8           5.8           0.24
                 130.2-152.0          21.8           0.35
                 164.3-197.4          33.1           0.62
Including        169.2-174.1           4.9           1.00
Including        177.4-182.9           5.5           1.09
                 206.7-220.7          14.0           0.76
Including        212.5-219.2           6.7           1.13
DS16-34          275.2-276.7           1.5           0.21
DS16-35                            No assays >0.14 g/t Au
DS16-36          156.4-158.8           2.4           0.17
DS16-37              8.2-9.4           1.2           0.18
                   84.5-87.2           2.7           0.17
                 176.7-179.6           2.9           0.23
DS16-38          196.6-202.7           6.1           0.22
                 219.5-243.9          24.4           2.03
Including        228.6-239.3          10.7           3.62
                 394.8-396.3           1.5           0.36
                 405.5-413.1           7.6           0.24
                 416.2-436.0          19.8           0.36

(i) Gold intervals reported in this table were calculated 
using a 0.14 g/t Au cut-off. Weighted averaging has been 
used to calculate all reported intervals. True widths are 
estimated at 70 to 90 per cent of drilled thicknesses.

Sampling methodology, chain of custody, quality assurance and quality control

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the company's project geologists and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. Core was cut at the company's facility in Elko and one-quarter was sent to the lab for analysis and the remaining material retained in the original core box. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every 10th sample. The North Dark Star samples were delivered to Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratories preparation facility in Elko, Nev., where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were shipped to Bureau Veritas certified laboratory in Sparks, Nev., or Vancouver, B.C. Pulps were digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay fusion and an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on a 30-gram split. All other elements were determined by ICP analysis. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to ensure accurate and verifiable results.

Drill hole deviation was measured by gyroscopic downhole surveys that were completed on all holes by International Directional Services of Elko, Nev. Final collar locations are surveyed by differential GPS by Apex Surveying LLC of Spring Creek, Nev.

The scientific and technical content and interpretations contained in this news release have been reviewed, verified and approved by Steven R. Koehler, Gold Standard's manager of projects, BSc, geology, and CPG-10216, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Gold Standard Ventures

Gold Standard is focused its Railroad-Pinion gold project, located within the prolific Carlin trend. The Pinion deposit now has a National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource estimate consisting of an indicated mineral resource of 31.61 million tonnes grading 0.62 gram per tonne gold, totalling 630,300 ounces of gold, and an inferred resource of 61.08 million tonnes grading 0.55 g/t Au, totalling 1,081,300 ounces of gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.14 g/t Au (announced March 15, 2016). The Dark Star deposit has an NI 43-101-compliant resource estimate consisting of an inferred resource of 23.11 million tonnes grading 0.51 g/t Au, totalling 375,000 ounces of gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.14 g/t Au (announced March 3, 2015).

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