Hand-to-hand combat in Drake's Fortune.
Melee is the most basic attack method used throughout the Uncharted series. It encompasses a range of close-contact, hand-to-hand attacks.
Single-player[]
Fast and Furious Combo[]
The Fast and Furious Combo only appears in Drake's Fortune. This is the most basic melee attack in the game. It involves consecutively pressing 
five times, causing Nathan Drake to land a series of punches on an enemy. If the enemy is near a solid surface, such as a brick wall, and the player attempts a melee attack, Drake will often pin the enemy against the surface during combat, sometimes finishing them by slamming their head into it or using other contextual moves.
Brutal Combo[]
A Brutal Combo in action.
Brutal Combo is a powerful melee attack featured in Drake's Fortune. The Brutal Combo is executed by pressing when close to an enemy. After the first punch has landed, press 
to continue the combo. After the second blow has landed, press again to finish the attack. Enemies killed with a Brutal Combo will drop double ammunition. A Brutal Combo cannot kill descendants. Nate uses a Brutal Combo to finish off Atoq Navarro in the game's final chapter, "Showdown".
Killing five enemies with a brutal combo will unlock the medal (worth 10 points) and the bronze trophy "Brutal Brawler". Killing twenty will unlock a silver trophy and a medal worth 30 points called "Brutal Slugger". Lastly, the silver trophy "Brutal Expert" (worth 40 medal points) is unlocked upon killing five enemies in a row with a brutal combo. The easiest point for this challenge is during the chapter "Ambushed" at the start of the game, due to the relative weakness of the enemies fought.
Drake's Fortune Remastered features the same trophies and requirements, except for "Brutal Slugger", which has been lowered to bronze.
Contextual[]
Contextual melee is an attack system that appears in: Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End.
In Among Thieves, melee consists of a series of contextual button prompts, the moves of which may alter if performed near a solid surface. A more advanced version appears in Drake's Deception, allowing the player to combat multiple foes at a time and use certain objects as weapons. If Drake is holding a firearm and initiates a melee attack, he will strike the enemy with it; if their health is already low, he will execute a finisher move (such as throwing the gun at the enemy to catch them off guard and then punching them). Players can also grapple enemies to headbutt or throw them, or counter-attack if being grappled themselves.
In the single-player of both games, Drake can kick enemies and defeat them instantly if they are standing on a lower level. Conversely, if Drake is lower than the enemy but within melee range, he will grab the enemy's legs and throw them over his head. Both of these attacks result in an instant defeat.
Steel Fist Combo[]
The Steel Fist melee combo appears in all Uncharted series games except The Lost Legacy. It involves weakening an enemy with gunfire and following it up with a one-hit kill punch. In multiplayer, the Steel Fist technique is used by running and blind-firing at an opponent before finishing them with a melee strike.
"Steel Fist" is also the title of a bronze trophy and a 10-point medal in Drake's Fortune. Among Thieves features a medal by the same name worth $10,000. The first game requires five kills with the technique, whereas the second requires ten.
Defeating twenty enemies with the Steel Fist technique will unlock the bronze "Steel Fist Master" trophy in both Among Thieves and Golden Abyss. The former also grants a $10,000 medal. Among Thieves Remastered changed this trophy type to silver.
Killing five enemies in a row using the Steel Fist technique unlocks the silver "Steel Fist Expert" trophy and medal (worth 40 points) in Drake's Fortune, though it is a bronze trophy in Drake's Fortune Remastered. Killing ten enemies in a row unlocks a silver trophy of the same name and a $25,000 medal in Among Thieves, which was also changed to bronze in Among Thieves Remastered. Golden Abyss also grants a silver trophy for the same requirements.
Gunslinger Combo[]
The Gunslinger Combo is similar to the Steel Fist Combo, but it involves a specific sequence: the enemy is punched, then shot, then punched again. This combo technically counts toward Steel Fist trophy progress.
Pull Down[]
Pull Down appears in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, A Thief's End, and Golden Abyss. This attack allows Drake to pull a victim off a ledge to their death. It is an instant kill regardless of height in both single-player and multiplayer. In Drake's Deception, Drake also breaks the opponent's neck if they are facing away when pulled down.
Stealth[]
Stealth takedowns appear in Drake's Fortune, Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, A Thief's End, and Golden Abyss. These attacks result in an instant kill, typically by breaking the victim's neck. In Drake's Fortune, the only stealth move is a basic neck-breaker. In Among Thieves and Drake's Deception, several variations are added. In the Among Thieves chapter "Breaking and Entering", these attacks involve choking guards into unconsciousness rather than killing them.
When in cover, it is possible to take out enemies quietly if they are close enough. Drake will strike a specific pose to indicate a cover takedown is available. From low cover, Drake pulls the opponent over the barrier; from the edge of low cover, he may kick the opponent before dragging them behind the barrier. From standing cover, Drake slams the enemy against the wall or jumps out to perform an uppercut before pulling the body out of sight.
Drake's Deception introduced "jumping takedowns", where Drake leaps from a higher platform to knock out an enemy or snap their neck. This can be performed whether the enemy is aware of Drake or not. New moves also appear when Drake is in water; instead of a standard pull-down, he can punch an opponent in the groin and face to pull them under.
Disarm[]
Disarm appears in Drake's Deception and A Thief's End. It acts similarly to contextual melee, but Drake disarms the enemy and takes their weapon after knocking them out. Variations include uppercutting an enemy so their weapon flies into the air for Drake to catch, or breaking an enemy's arm followed by a kick to the face.
Multiplayer[]
Multiplayer melee is featured in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End. It is simplified compared to single-player but features unique mechanics. In competitive multiplayer, the basic attack is a pistol whip or a buttstroke with a long gun. It typically takes two hits to kill an enemy, and the player who strikes first usually wins. In co-op, the basic melee is identical to single-player. In Drake's Deception, finisher animations are triggered when finishing an enemy with low health.
Pull Down[]
Pull Down appears in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End. It enables the player to pull a victim off a ledge for an instant kill. In Drake's Deception, players can also pull enemies off ladders from below, or throw an opponent off a climbable surface while hanging adjacent to them. Performing this earns the Pull Down medal.
Kick Off[]
Kick Off appears in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End. This allows players to kick enemies off ledges for an instant kill.
A variation is the "head smash", performed from waist-high cover against an enemy hanging from the ledge. In competitive multiplayer, this earns the Kick Off medal, though in Drake's Deception, it earns a "Headache" medal.
In Drake's Deception, players hanging adjacent to each other can kick sideways to knock opponents down. Additionally, players on a ladder can kick downward to knock off an enemy climbing below them.
Stealth[]
Stealth appears in Among Thieves and Drake's Deception. In multiplayer, players can perform a neck-breaker by attacking an opponent from directly behind. In Drake's Deception, this earns the "Oh Snap!" medal.