Mr. Jonathan Awde reports

GOLD STANDARD ANNOUNCES US$15.5 MILLION 2017 EXPLORATION PROGRAM FOR RAILROAD-PINION PROJECT, CARLIN TREND, NEVADA

Gold Standard Ventures Corp. is providing its plans for the 2017 exploration program on its 100-per-cent-owned/controlled Railroad-Pinion project in Nevada's Carlin trend. The $15.5-million (U.S.) program includes up to 48,800 m of reverse circulation and core drilling in a total of 117 holes.

The 2017 program objectives are: (1) aggressive drilling at the North Dark Star oxide gold discovery to follow up 2016 successes; (2) drilling to expand known resources at Dark Star and Pinion; and (3) drilling to test new high-value targets within the Dark Star corridor, North Bullion and elsewhere within the Railroad-Pinion district. The budget also includes an extensive predevelopment component including new resource estimates, further metallurgical work and economic studies to derisk key assets. Financing for this program was obtained in a private placement dated Oct. 28, 2016.

Jonathan Awde, chief executive officer and director of Gold Standard, commented: "Railroad-Pinion has now become a truly district-scale play with multiple deposits of different types. Each year, we set out to find the limits of the gold systems we have discovered and each year we end up with new opportunities that exceed our expectations. We think 2017 will be no different. We believe we have found the right balance between expanding and advancing resources at known deposits and continuing to evaluate the many new targets that have emerged over the past year. This should be a very exciting next few months."

Key highlights for 2017 follow.

Exploration

Dark Star

• At North and West Dark Star, complete up to 24 RC and core holes (approximately 12,600 metres) to expand areas of known shallow oxide gold mineralization and test new targets stepping out from intercepts of 52.1 m of 1.04 grams per tonne in DS16-26 and 24.4 m of 2.03 g/t Au in DS16-38, to the west of Main Dark Star (see Jan. 19, 2017, news release). Mineralization in DS16-26 and DS16-38 is associated with a thrust fault and feldspar porphyry dikes. To refine the geometry of this target, and potential targets between Pinion and Dark Star, multiple seismic lines are planned for 2017;
• Within the 6.7-kilometre-long Dark Star structural corridor, complete about 11,400 m of RC scout drilling in 25 holes to test new targets south of the Dark Star maiden resource. The Dark Star structural corridor is a north-trending structural high of altered Pennsylvanian-Permian host rocks defined by gravity, CSAMT, geologic mapping and soil sampling. The corridor is largely untested by drilling;
• As background, the maiden Dark Star National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource estimate was completed in 2015 by APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, Canada, and included an inferred mineral resource of 23.11 million tonnes grading 0.51 gram per tonne gold totalling 375,000 ounces of gold using a cut-off of 0.14 g/t Au (see March 3, 2015, news release). More recently, 2016 drilling by Gold Standard confirms that the North Dark Star and Main Dark Star oxide gold deposits connect to form one large occurrence. A new resource estimate will be completed in 2017 to incorporate all of Gold Standard's 2015 and 2016 North Dark Star and Main Dark Star drilling results, including 97.0 m of 1.61 g/t Au in DS15-13 (see Jan. 21, 2016, news release), 126.2 m of 3.95 g/t Au in DS16-08 (see Aug. 9, 2016, news release), 101.2 m of 1.50 g/t Au in DS16-03B (see Aug. 18, 2016, news release) and 97.3 m of 3.16 g/t Au in DS16-24 (see Aug. 9, 2016, news release).

Pinion

• At the Sentinel breccia target 350 m to the north of Pinion, 13 RC and core holes (approximately 3,900 m) will test for bedrock extensions to oxide gold mineralization identified by surface rock samples. This target is a hematitic, silicified breccia within the footwall of the north-striking Bullion fault zone. At a 0.14 g/t Au cut-off, continuous rock-chip channel samples returned seven significant weight-averaged, composite intervals that included 27.4 m of 0.35 g/t Au and 12.2 m of 0.46 g/t Au (announced on Jan. 25, 2016).

North Bullion

• Drill 10 holes (approximately 6,700 m) to extend areas of west-northwest- and north-trending, high-grade gold mineralization in the Lower breccia zone. Drilling will follow up on the 2016 results in RR16-01 which intersected 65.6 m of 3.17 g/t Au, including a higher-grade interval of 8.5 m of 11.16 g/t Au located west-northwest of previous drilling (announced on Aug. 30, 2016), and RR16-05, which returned 19.8 m of 4.40 g/t Au, including a higher-grade interval of 5.3 m of 7.02 g/t Au located north of previous drilling (announced on Jan. 23, 2017).

Early-stage district exploration

• Geologic mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysics will continue to define new targets throughout the 115 square km Railroad-Pinion district. Thirty reverse circulation scout holes (totalling about 10,600 m) are planned to provide the first tests of these targets. Highlights for two of these target areas are summarized below;
• At the Bald Mountain and Steve's Camp targets, drill up to 10 RC scout holes (about 4,600 m) to test new oxide gold targets developed within a four km long west-northwest-striking dike-filled corridor. In 2013 at the Bald Mountain target within the central Bullion area, core hole RRB13-01 intersected 56.1 m of 1.47 g/t Au, including 7.3 m of 5.66 g/t Au in oxidized, multilithic collapse breccia (MLBX) developed along the contact between the Tripon Pass formation and the underlying Devils Gate limestone (see news release dated Oct. 2, 2013). This mineralization occurs in the same stratigraphic position as MLBX-hosted gold at Pinion and North Bullion. Geochemical zonation for multiple targets around the Carlin-age bullion intrusive centre will be reworked and combined with geology to help define gold-rich targets within this large system;
• To the northwest of Pinion, early-stage geologic mapping along the north-northwest-striking Ski Track corridor has identified altered carbonate rocks that are similar to the Pennsylvanian-Permian rocks that host the Dark Star gold deposit. Detailed mapping is planned to confirm this promising correlation with follow-up sampling, gravity and CSAMT used to define new targets at Ski Track. Up to 20 RC scout holes (about 6,000 m) are allocated for these targets.

Predevelopment

• In addition to exploration, Gold Standard plans to move the North-Main Dark Star and Pinion deposits forward toward development this year. Work will focus on derisking these key assets including updated resources estimates, advanced-stage metallurgical testing and economic studies.
• New resource estimates are expected for the Pinion and North-Main Dark Star deposits early in the second quarter of this year, to be followed by a maiden resource for the North Bullion deposit later in the second quarter. These estimates will incorporate all the drilling completed to date.
• Up to 15 PQ-size core holes (3,600 metres) will be completed to provide material for more definitive metallurgical testwork. The objective is to complete column leach tests on composite samples taken from typical sections of Pinion, Dark Star and North Dark Star.
• An exploration environmental assessment has been submitted to permit more extensive drilling of the Pinion and Dark Star resources and additional targets; Bureau of Land Management approval is expected during the second quarter of this year.
• A preliminary economic assessment for the Pinion and North-Main Dark Star resources is planned to be completed during the third quarter of 2017.

Mac Jackson, Gold Standard's vice-president of exploration, stated: "This aggressive 2017 exploration program will follow up on our great success in 2016 by continuing to expand our oxide gold resources at Pinion and Dark Star, and offsetting open high-grade gold intercepts at North Bullion. We will also complete our folio-style, detailed geologic work to define and test new targets throughout our large land position, including targets along the Dark Star corridor, Ski Track corridor and Pinion thrust (a newly recognized geologic connection between Pinion and Dark Star). With this well-funded, systematic exploration program in place, we are looking forward to our next big discovery in the Railroad-Pinion district."

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. 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. Overlimit gold assays were determined using a fire assay fusion with a gravimetric finish on a 30-gram split. Pinion and North Bullion samples were delivered to ALS Minerals preparation facility in Elko, Nev., where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were shipped to ALS Minerals certified laboratory in Sparks, Nev., or Vancouver, B.C. Pulps are digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay fusion and an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish on a 30-gram split. Overlimit gold assays were determined using a fire assay fusion with a gravimetric finish on a 30-gram split. All other elements are determined by ICP analysis. Data verification of the analytical results includes 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, CPG-10216, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Gold Standard Ventures Corp.

Gold Standard is focused on its Railroad-Pinion gold project, located within the prolific Carlin trend. The Pinion deposit now has an NI 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, 2.1 kilometres to the east of Pinion, 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).

We seek Safe Harbor.