High-spin states of ²¹⁶Ra $(Z = 88,N = 128)$ have been investigated through ²⁰⁹Bi(¹⁰B, 3n) reaction at an incident beam energy of 55 MeV and ²⁰⁹Bi(¹¹B, 4n) reaction at incident beam energies ranging from 65 to 78 MeV. Based on $\gamma \gamma$ coincidence data, the level scheme for ²¹⁶Ra has been considerably extended up to $\sim 33\hbar$ spin and 7.2 MeV excitation energy in the present experiment with placement of 28 new 𝛾-transitions over what has been reported earlier. Tentative spin-parity assignments are done for the newly proposed levels on the basis of the DCO ratios corresponding to strong gates. Empirical shell model calculations were carried out to provide an understanding of the underlying nuclear structure.