The sixth Gamescom, which takes place in the western German city of Cologne, drew 345,000 gaming enthusiasts from 96 countries this year, topping last year's 335,000 visitors.

Of those, 33,200 were industry representatives, a 5-percent rise compared with last year.

"Gamescom has confirmed its exceptional status as the world's biggest event for computer and video games and as Europe's most important business platform," said Maximilian Schenk, general manager at Germany's Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU), which organizes the fair.

More than 800 companies from more than 40 countries presented the latest trends in the gaming industry. Apart from the usual keenly awaited premieres of new games, 3D glasses, e-sports events and virtual reality were the focus of the Gamescom 2015.

Germany's gaming market is growing, with games and games consoles driving revenues. Gaming apps available from Apple and Google stores account for three quarters of total sales in the mobile app segment.

"We're expecting double-digit sales growth across the entire sector for 2015," Schenk said in a statement published ahead of the Gamescom.

ng/uhe (dpa, AFP)