The effects of B, N, and BN doping of arsenene and different strains on the stability, electronic structure, and optical properties of BN-doped arsenene were investigated using a first-principles approach. It was found that B, N, and BN doping caused the bandgap of arsenene to shift from indirect-direct, and strong charge transfer occurred between arsenene and B, N, and BN, and the transfer between N atoms and arsenene was more intense. The binding energy of the BN-doped arsenene system is always negative at different strains and in a stable state, but the stability of the structure is gradually decreasing. The bandgap of the BN-doped arsenene system shows a trend of decreasing, then increasing, and then decreasing under different tensile and compressive deformations. The only difference is that the tensile deformation continues to increase the bandgap at 2%, while the compressive deformation decreases the bandgap. The p-state electrons of the As atom near the Fermi energy level make the main contribution to the BN-doped arsenene system, and the p-state electrons of the B atom have some contribution. Red shifting occurs at the absorption and reflection peaks for doped systems with tensile deformation of 1% to 5%, and the absorption and reflection peaks for doped systems with compressive deformation of − 1% to − 5%.