Viber has announced that its next update will add online gaming to the service, according to Digital Spy.

The communications app is introducing a selection of social games based on licences held by parent company Rakuten, but these will be limited to select countries at launch.

Viber Games will debut in Belarus, Israel, Malaysia and Singapore, with plans for a global rollout in place for 2015.

Launch titles include Candy Mania, Pop and Wild Luck Casino, while Storm8 and Playtika are on board as development partners.

Viber has added a wealth of new features of late, including the introduction of free video calls in September, a move that saw it take the fight to competitor Skype.

Viber is available as a free download from Google Play, the App Store and the Windows Phone Store.