There is one crucial purchase every PlayStation 4 owner must make - and it will save you a ton of money in the long run

You finally got a PlayStation 4. Finally !

But where to start?

OK, yes, definitely play "Horizon Zero Dawn."

But before even that, there's one other crucial thing you should do: Pay for an annual subscription to PlayStation Plus .

What's PlayStation Plus?

PlayStation Plus, a paid loyalty program, is a crucial addition to your PlayStation 4.

Why?

• It enables you to play games online with other people!
• It gives you monthly discounts on games and movies!
• But, most important, it gives you free games every month . Free! For the duration of your subscription!

What types of games? Really great games! Like "Rocket League":

And "Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes":

And "Spelunky":

For an annual fee ($60 a year, or $10 a month if you prefer a shorter commitment), you get what Sony calls an "Instant Game Collection."

This month, that means two insanely-great games on the PlayStation 4:

These are both excellent games, to be clear, and they're games you can only play on the PlayStation 4. These are games I would strongly suggest new PS4 owners buy and play - and they're totally free this month for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Better yet: The longer you're a member, the more games you'll get. If you want an idea for how many games this means over time, check out the running list on Wikipedia - it's an impressive library.

And that game library grows every month . As long as you continue paying for PlayStation Plus, you retain access to every game you've ever added to your library. You don't even have to download the game; you simply select "Add to Library" so you have access to the game whenever you do want to download and play it.

Pretty incredible!

So let's do some quick math:

• "Bloodborne" normally costs $19.99.
• "Ratchet & Clank" normally costs $19.99.

The value you get from just this month is more than half the cost of an entire year of PlayStation Plus.

If you download and play three to four games through PlayStation Plus, the service pays for itself. Anything beyond that is pure bonus value.

One more thing: If you own a PlayStation Vita or a PlayStation 3, you'll also get free PlayStation Plus games on those platforms. Some of the games are even "cross-buy," meaning you'll get access to them across multiple PlayStation devices ("Spelunky" is this way - once you own it on one PlayStation console, you own it on all PlayStation consoles).

So remember: Before dropping hundreds of dollars on $60 games with your new PlayStation 4, snag a $60 annual subscription to PlayStation Plus . It's a smart investment.