Coleco opted not to release games for the Atari 5200, since it was the closest competitor to their ColecoVision. Coleco's then-exclusive license to release Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior on cartridge-based consoles ensured the Atari 5200 would not see official releases.

Later on, homebrewers hacked the Atari 8-bit home computer versions of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior to play on the Atari 5200, finally allowing owners of the console to play these games.