A Dunedin City Council report on the games showed competitor numbers continued to drop, with 4499 participants this year compared to 5379 in 2014.
The economic impact of the games, which was calculated in the report, dropped from $3.5 million in the 2014 games to $3.2 million this year.
A survey of competitors showed they spent an average of $802 each over the course of the games and 75% said they would definitely participate in the next games held in the city.
The drop in competitors, as well as falling gaming trust funding, resulted in the games running at a $18,450 loss, compared to a $104,000 surplus in 2014.
The surplus from the previous games meant there was no need to draw on the council's underwrite of the event.
Games Trust manager Vicki Kestila highlighted the need for long-term planning to increase competitor numbers for the next games in the report and this was backed by trust chairman and Dunedin city councillor John Bezett on Friday.
Cr Bezett said it was not surprising numbers had dropped off, given the competitive environment - which included a proliferation of multisport events - the games was operating in.
However, he was not willing to accept a downsized games and the trust would be calling for extra investment from the council in the hopes of increasing numbers for the next games.
To grow the event, Dunedin should replicate the success of the Pan Pacific Games in the Gold Coast, by investing in extra staff and leveraging off the World Masters Games being held in Auckland next year.
Organisers of the Pan Pacific Games had told him their success was built on hiring more staff and Cr Bezett believed employing skilled staff to work with different sporting codes had the potential to bring "another two or three thousand people'' to Dunedin.
Despite falling numbers, he believed the economic impact report showed just how important the games were to Dunedin.
