The player takes the role of Donald Duck, whose job is to earn money so that he can buy playground items for his nephews.

Donald Duck's Playground was originally written for the Commodore 64 and subsequently ported to Sierra's AGI interpreter for the Apple II, PC compatibles, Amiga, and Atari ST. A version for the TRS-80 Color Computer followed as well.

Donald can spend his hard-earned wages by buying various items such as ladders and swings for a playground his nephews can play at.

They can be bought from three different stores where the player must be able to count the amount of coins and bills needed for an item and, if the total is not even, the change.

Abandonware website Abandonia's Sebatianos reviewed Donald Duck's Playground with "the game is more than solid for its time (great graphics, good sound, cute idea, lovable hero, etc.)".