For the entire millennium thus far, gamers who love driving games and Porsche have had limited options for virtually controlling a 911 – or any other vehicle hailing from Zuffenhausen.

Starting in 2000, Porsche signed an exclusive license with Electronic Arts (EA) for the automaker's vehicles to appear in the popular game developer's titles, and chiefly in its "Need for Speed" franchise.

While that series of games has sold more than 150 million units on consoles and PCs in its 23-year history, its arcade-style gameplay and illegal street racing ethos doesn't exactly endear itself to the track-loving Porsche community or gamers who prefer the real-life physics and handling models of racing simulation games.

However, after years of consternation from the gaming world, the Porsche/EA exclusivity license expired late last year.

As a result, three well-known racing simulation franchises will feature Porsches when they debut this fall, in a development sure to please speed-loving gamers and Porsche fanatics alike.

At the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios not only unveiled the latest installment of their "Forza Motorsport" franchise, "Forza Motorsport 7," they teamed up with Porsche to unveil the real-life 2018 911 GT2 RS.

The GT2 RS is the cover car for the game, and is a veritable beast of a supercar, even by 911 standards. Although unconfirmed by Porsche, it may pack as much as 700 horsepower and can get from 0 to 60 mph in a blistering 2.9 seconds.

Additionally, the 4K trailer released for "Forza Motorsport 7" at E3 prominently features the now-triple Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid. "Forza 7" will be available on Xbox One and PC on Oct. 3, but the racing title is being regarded as a flagship game for the super-powerful Xbox One X console, which releases Nov. 7, and is designed to take Xbox One games to a higher visual standard on newer 4K televisions.

One of the newer racing simulators on the block is the "Project CARS" series, which premiered in 2015 courtesy of indie developer Slightly Mad Studios. The first game, available on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC, included RUF vehicles as stand-ins for factory Porsches.

For "Project CARS 2," which releases Sept. 22 on the same systems as the first game, Slightly Mad Studios enlisted the help of Porsche GT factory driver and Luftgekühlt co-founder Patrick Long for the game’s development. The title will feature a selection of iconic Porsches, including current-day 991-generation 911s, and top-class endurance racing legends like the 936 Spyder and 962C.

The third game that will feature Porsche that releases later in 2017 is the latest in Playstation’s long-running exclusive “Gran Turismo” series, “Gran Turismo Sport.” Developed by Japan-based Polyphony Digital, "Gran Turismo Sport" will be the first in the 20-year-old series to include Porsches.

In a funny twist, "Gran Turismo Sport" will likely only include Porsche due to the fact that its release date, originally scheduled for November 2016, has been delayed a year. Thus far, the only Porsche confirmed for the game is the 2016 911 GT3 RS, but more could be included.

Even now, the exact release date for "GT Sport" is unconfirmed, but Sony’s E3 event last week publicized a fall 2017 release, and closed beta testing has begun on the game.

Porsche in games is not a new phenomenon. However, for gamers who love realism in their racing, three games coming out this fall will finally allow them to pilot a variety of classic and modern-day Porsches on their favorite virtual tracks.