Special-shaped concrete-filled steel tubes (CFSTs) have been used in modern structures like high-rise commercial and residential buildings due to their superior structural performance compared to steel and reinforced concrete members. Various shapes of special-shaped CFSTs might be necessary to meet architectural and aesthetic needs. Cross-shaped CFSTs could be used where two orthogonal walls cross in high-rise buildings. However, at present, the research on the compressive performance of cross-shaped CFSTs is limited, consequently, the unavailability of design guidelines and design-oriented strength prediction models. Therefore, in this study, a finite element (FE) model of cross-shaped CFSTs was developed following the past experimental data, and the model's accuracy was verified by the failure modes and load–strain curves of specimens. Sensitivity analysis was performed for some parameters of the concrete damaged plasticity model besides imperfections and residual stress. The parametric analysis was conducted considering various study parameters such as the width-to-thickness ratio, width-to-depth ratio, and steel and concrete strengths. The compressive strength of cross-shaped CFSTs was predicted by different design codes and available design formulas, which gave unsatisfactory results necessitating the development of new strength prediction models. Finally, a new design formula was developed by performing a linear regression of FE and test results. The proposed formula predicted the strength of cross-shaped CFSTs with great accuracy and can be used for design purposes.