The present study focuses on numerically studying the failure behaviour of three different rock types under unconfined compression using the Mohr–Coulomb and Drucker–Prager failure criteria. The rocks are selected based on their formation genesis such as metadolerite (igneous), limestone (sedimentary), and Phyllite (metamorphic). The experimental results for all rock types are taken from Mishra et al. (J. Test. Eval. 49, 1976–1998 [9]). The rock specimens similar to the experimental setup are numerically simulated using the finite element software package, ABAQUS. Numerical simulations are performed to derive comparative results in terms of von Mises stresses and deformations under static loading conditions. Furthermore, sensitivity of internal angle of friction and cohesion on the UCS of rocks are estimated for both the failure criteria. Overall, it is inferred from the results that the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion offers more conservative results as compared to the Drucker–Prager failure criterion.