Herein, the mechanical behavior and damage characteristics of DD6 nickel‐based single crystal alloy under different crystal orientation conditions are studied based on the theory of crystal plasticity coupled with damage constitutive equations using the crystal plasticity finite‐element method. The results indicate that the crystal plastic finite‐element model coupled with damage constitutive equations can well describe the entire deformation process from elasticity to damage. Under the reference orientation condition, the damage starts from the center position inside the test specimen and extends to the surrounding areas. The stress value in the damaged area decreases gradually from the periphery to the center of the test specimen, and an external stress reduction zone is formed. The crystal exhibits the best elasticity properties in the [0, 1, 1] orientation and the best plasticity properties in the [0, tan22.5°, 1] orientation. As the rotation angle of crystal orientation increases, the damage zones of X‐Z, Z‐Y, and X‐Y sections all exhibit clockwise rotation characteristics.