Directional crack growth criteria in compressed elastic–plastic materials are considered. The conditions at the crack tip are evaluated for a straight stationary crack. Remote load is a combined hydrostatic stress and pure shear, applied via a boundary layer assuming small scale yielding. Strains and deformations are assumed to be small. Different candidates for crack path criteria are examined. Maximum non-negative hoop stress to judge the risk of mode I and maximum shear stress for mode II extension of the crack are examined in some detail. Crack surfaces in contact are assumed to develop Coulumb friction from the very beginning. Hence, a condition of slip occurs throughout the crack faces. The plane in which the crack extends is calculated using a finite element method. Slip-line solutions are derived for comparison with the numerically computed asymptotic field. An excellent agreement between numerical and analytical solutions is found. The agreement is good in the region from the crack tip to around halfway to the elastic–plastic boundary. The relation between friction stress and yield stress is varied. The crack is found to extend in a direction straight ahead in shear mode for sufficiently high compressive pressure. At a limit pressure a kink is formed at a finite angle to the crack plane. For lower pressures the crack extends via a kink forming an angle to the parent crack plane that increases with decreasing pressure.