Melee is the most basic attack method used throughout the Uncharted series. It encompasses a range of close contact hand-to-hand attacks.
Singleplayer[]
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 Nate to land a series of punches on an enemy. If the enemy is nearby a solid surface such as a brick wall and the player attempts to melee them, Nathan Drake will often pin the enemy against the surface during combat, sometimes finishing them by slamming their head into it, as well as using other moves.
Brutal Combo[]
Brutal Combo is a powerful melee attack featured in Drake's Fortune. The Brutal Combo is executed by pressing when you are close enough 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 combo. Enemies killed with a Brutal Combo will drop more ammo. A Brutal Combo cannot kill any Descendants. Nate uses a Brutal Combo to finish off Atoq Navarro at the end of "Showdown".
Killing five enemies with a brutal combo will unlock the medal, worth 10 points and bronze trophy "Brutal Brawler". Killing twenty will unlock a silver trophy and 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 the brutal combo. The easiest point for this challenge is at the start of the game, during "Ambushed", due to the relative weakness of the enemies fought.
Drake's Fortune Remastered features the same trophies and requirements, except "Brutal Slugger", which has been lowered to bronze.
Contextual[]
Contextual is a melee attack that appears in: Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End.
In Among Thieves, melee is a series of contextual button prompts, the moves of which may alter if performed near a solid surface. A more advanced version of this melee 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 hit them with it, and if their health is already low, he will execute a finisher move (such as throwing the gun at the enemy to catch and then punching him). Players can also grapple enemies and headbutt or throw them, as well as attack if being grappled themselves.
In the single player of both games, it is possible for Drake to kick enemies and defeat them instantly if they are standing on a lower level, but still high enough for Drake to kick them in the face. Conversely, if Drake is lower than the enemy, but can still engage in melee, he will grab the enemy's legs and throw them over his head. Both of these attacks defeat the enemy instantly.
Steel Fist Combo[]
The Steel Fist melee combo appears in all Uncharted series' games, except The Lost Legacy. It involves weakening the enemy with gunfire and following it up with an one-hit kill punch. In multiplayer, the steel fist technique is used by running and blindfiring on the opponent and finishing them with a melee strike.
"Steel Fist" is also the title of a bronze trophy in Drake's Fortune, and a medal worth ten medal points. Among Thieves has a medal by the same name, worth $10,000. The first game requires for you to have killed five enemies with the technique, whereas the second requires it to be ten.
Defeating a total of twenty enemies with the Steel Fist technique will unlock the bronze trophy named "Steel Fist Master" in both Among Thieves and Golden Abyss. The former also grants a medal worth $10,000 upon completion. Among Thieves Remastered changed the trophy type to silver.
Killing five enemies in a row using the Steel Fist unlocks a silver trophy and medal, worth 40 points, called "Steel Fist Expert" in Drake's Fortune, although it is worth only bronze in Drake's Fortune Remastered. Killing ten enemies in a row unlocks a silver trophy of the same name, and a medal worth $25,000, in Among Thieves, which was also changed to bronze in Among Thieves Remastered. Golden Abyss also grants you a silver trophy of the same title upon completion of the same requirements.
Gunslinger Combo[]
The Gunslinger Combo is similar to the Steel Fist Combo, but instead of softening an enemy up with only melee, gunfire is involved as well. An enemy is first punched, then shot, then punched again. This combo technically counts towards the Steel Fist trophies.
Pull Down[]
Pull Down appears in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, A Thief's End, and Golden Abyss. This melee attack enables Drake to pull victim off a ledge and to their death. It is an instant kill regardless of height in both single and multiplayer. In Drake's Deception, Drake also breaks the opponent's neck if they are facing away when he pulls them down.
Stealth[]
Stealth appears in Drakes Fortune, Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, A Thief's End, and Golden Abyss. This is a stealthy takedown that breaks the victim's neck, resulting in an instant kill. In Drake's Fortune, the only stealth move is the basic neck-breaker. In Among Thieves and Drake's Deception, many new stealth variations are included, sometimes breaking the neck of the victim. In the Among Thieves chapter; "Breaking and Entering", this attack instead chokes the guards to unconsciousness.
When in cover, it is possible to take out enemies quietly if they are near enough. This attack consists of stealthily killing/incapacitating an enemy from the edge of cover. Drake will strike a pose to indicate that this move is available. From low cover, Drake will reach out and pull his opponent over the cover and break their neck with his elbow. From the edge of low cover, Drake will kick his opponent in the crotch, drag them behind the cover and snap their neck. From standing cover, Drake incapacitates the enemy by grabbing and slamming them against the cover. Another standing cover stealth move is when Drake jumps out of cover, uppercuts them, and pulls the body behind the cover.
Drake's Deception features additional stealth moves, such as a "jumping takedown". This attack consists of the Drake jumping from a higher platform onto an enemy below, thereby snapping the enemy's neck or knocking them out. This move can be performed no matter which way the enemy is facing, and even if they are aware of Drake's presence, as well as stealthily. New moves also appear when Drake is in the water. Rather than a pull-down, he will punch the opponent in the groin, then in the face causing the enemy to fall into the water.
Disarm[]
Disarm appears in Drake's Deception and A Thief's End. It acts similar to Contextual, except that Drake will disarm the enemy and take the weapon for himself after knocking them out with it. There are variations, such as upper-cutting the enemy causing his weapon to fly into the air, which Drake can catch. Other's consist of Drake breaking the enemy's arm for the weapon, 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 more simplified and lacks many of the complex moves from single-player, but does feature some new ones. In competitive multiplayer, the basic melee attack is a pistol whip, or, when equipped with a long gun, a buttstroke. It takes two hits to kill an enemy this way, and it is usually the one who hits first that wins. In co-op, the basic melee is the same as in single-player. In Drake's Deception, finisher animations are added that occur when a player uses melee to finish off an enemy that is already low on health.
Pull Down[]
Pull Down appears in Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End. This melee attack enables the player to pull their victim off a ledge and to their death. It is an instant kill no matter the drop height. In Drake's Deception, a new version of the pull down is seen, where it is possible to pull an upper player overhead from a ladder, or if the players are on another climbable surface, the lower player will jump up and grab the upper player and throw them off. Performing this move will earn the Pull Down medal.
Kick Off[]
Kick Off appears in: Among Thieves, Drake's Deception, and A Thief's End. This attack allows players to kick off other players hanging on ledges, instantly killing them, again, regardless of drop height.
One variation of the Kick Off is the "head smash", also an instant kill, which can be performed if the player is in waist-high cover, and an enemy player is hanging from the ledge of the cover. In competitive multiplayer, performing this move will still earn the Kick Off medal, but in Drake's Deception it earns a "Headache" medal.
In Drake's Deception, when two members of opposing teams are hanging next to each other, one can kick sideways and knock the other player down. If two players are hanging adjacent to each other, it's possible for one to perform a swinging Kick Off maneuver. Also, if two opposing players are above/below each other on a ladder, the above player can kick downwards and knock the lower player off.
Stealth[]
Stealth appears in Among Thieves and Drake's Deception. Stealth is possible in multiplayer by attacking players up close from behind. The attack is a basic neck-breaker. In Drake's Deception, performing this will earn the "Oh Snap!" medal.