<p>Traditional rock failure criteria are predominantly stress-based, derived from controlled laboratory tests and adapted for field use. While stress-based failure criteria are convenient to obtain and apply, rock failure is fundamentally governed by the accumulation of strains during loading. Furthermore, since stress measurements in the field are generally not feasible, stress-based models cannot be calibrated or validated with field data, leading to uncertainties in analysis and modeling. However, recent advancements in scanning and sensing technologies have made field strain measurements more practical, enabling the development of strain-based rock failure models that can be calibrated and validated with actual field data. Such models have the potential to improve the accuracy of rock failure analysis and modeling, while also simplifying the process by circumventing the complex constitutive relations of rock masses. The paper introduces a strain-based approach to rock failure modeling by transforming the widely accepted Hoek–Brown stress-based failure criterion into a strain-based criterion. This method enables the regression of measured failure strain data to establish specific strain-based failure criteria, effectively incorporating rock nonlinearity into the model. In cases where failure strain data is unavailable, the approach provides equations that utilize rock properties such as Young's modulus (E), Poisson's ratio (μ), and the parameters of the Hoek–Brown criterion to approximate strain-based failure criteria. Using literature data, the paper demonstrates examples of establishing strain-based failure criteria, highlighting the flexibility of the method in leveraging either direct failure strain data or derived rock properties to develop rock failure models. However, the limitations of the latter approach, which relies on derived rock properties, are emphasized. The strain-based failure criterion represents a novel methodology that can be refined as more failure strain data becomes accessible. This approach has the potential to enhance rock engineering designs and geotechnical applications by enabling more efficient analyses of rock blasting process and rock mass stability. The diverse applications of strain-based failure criteria are discussed.</p>