<p>The manufacturing process and the mechanical properties of particle reinforced metal matrix composites are strongly dependent on their microstructural characteristics. In this research, numerical simulations in 2D mesoscale of tungsten alloys reinforced by Zr(Y)O₂ particles (W-Zr(Y)O₂) were conducted to investigate their uniaxial compression deformation behaviours. With the increase in Zr(Y)O₂ mass fraction, the yield strength and compressive strength of the alloy increase gradually. The stress distribution coefficient q is always greater than 1 and increases from 1.66–1.72 to 1.76–1.81 with the increase in Zr(Y)O₂ content. Higher particle content accelerates the initiation of matrix damage and causes a shift in crack initiation locations. The segregation degree parameter τ = 0.664 reduces the material’s fracture strain, while τ ≤ 0.395 has a minimal impact on fracture strain. Particle fracture is the main cause of the decrease in fracture toughness of composites with low particle volume fractions. At the same Zr(Y)O₂ mass fraction, the smaller the particle size, the higher the alloy’s maximum compressive strength, and the average stress of the matrix and particles as well as the q-value also increase accordingly. When the overall material strain is 0.11 and the particle centre distance is 1.8&#xa0;μm, a strain extreme point appears in the matrix between particles, and this extreme point is approximately 1.675&#xa0;times the particle radius away from the particle centre. The current researches may be necessary for the mechanical design of structural materials in computational materials science.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>