Re: how do i backup and restore games?

Hi again, I think I know where the issue lies now.

"Origin" isn't normally where the game installs go, I think the backup was moved to the wrong location and Origin didn't know to check here. 

Within Origin itself, click "Origin" in the top left, then Application Settings. Check the Installs & Saves tab then Game library location. This is where your game installs will go, and where Origin will check for content moved from a backup. 

You can move the game file to the appropriate location from here, or you can change the location for Origin to look for said game file, it's up to you.